Smoke-emitting brick kilns under observation

ISLAMBAD Ministry of Environment is in the process of monitoring smoke emitting brick kilns near Benazir Bhutto International Airport, causing air pollution and affecting visibility of the aeroplanes. It has been learnt from the concerned officials within Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), attached department of the Ministry of Environment, that they have completed monitoring of almost half of brick kilns of the area. Soon after completing the monitoring process, they further informed, they would formulate a comprehensive strategy for making residential area pollution free. It is a possibility to close down brick kilns that are not matching with the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), they added. Other concerned sources revealed that the brick kilns owners were demanding compensation for relocating their business to some other place, and it was not possible for the Government to pay them such heavy amount. It is to be mentioned here that the high ups of the Ministry often receive a number of complaints about environmental pollution caused by brick kilns, which emit thick black smoke exceeding the permissible limits. After providing opportunity to the brick Kiln owners to explain their version, the high ups of the Agency had decided that the brick kiln owners were unable to control pollution. Therefore under section 16 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, they issued notice to close down the operation of brick kilns immediately, falling under the Red Zone (near to Benazir Bhutto International Airport). Besides other measures, it was also proposed to close down 12 brick kilns near to the Airport by year 2009, closure of 30 brick kilns lying in orange zone (within ICT) by year 2012 and closing of 50 brick kiln (outer periphery of ICT) by year 2015. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had also been perusing the matter since long to close down these brick kilns, as visibility at the airport runway was being affected due to emission of smoke. In order to overcome pollution caused by brick kiln business, several other plans were made in the past, but all those remained unsuccessful. According to the details from the Ministry of Interior, a comprehensive plan of shifting smoke-emitting brick kilns, surrounding Benazir Bhutto International Airport, to the outskirts of the Capital was also under consideration. It has also been learnt that the administration of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) had also constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Commissioner and was working out a phased plan for shifting the brick kilns from the area. However, despite these efforts the positive results in this regard could not have been achieved even yet.