Five housing societies served notices

ISLAMABAD Federal Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has served summon notices on five housing societies of E/11 sector for discharging effluent and sewage into fresh stream of F 11/3. It has been learnt that the housing societies including Police Foundation, Medical, Services, Federal Cooperative and Multi Professional Housing Societies have deteriorated sewerage system. The affluent comes from these housing societies spill into nullah situated at F11/3 sector, after that it pass through the Sector G/10 and finally fall into Nullah Leh. The waste from these residential colonies also spills into fresh water stream of F11/3 that turns its fresh water into black dirty nullah filled with heaps of squander. According to officials within the Agency, these housing societies have not installed treatment plants and their sewerage continue to fall into the stream. Thats why, they continued, notices have been served on these five societies for installation of treatment plant, otherwise strict action would be taken against them. In this regard, sources said, that they have invited concerned people in our office for discussing the issue of overcoming the problem. So far hundreds of municipal sewer authorities have been fined for violations, including spills that make people sick, poison local drinking water and kill aquatic animals and plants. In past Capital Development Authority (CDA) had inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rotary Club for the restoration of some 26 polluted fresh water streams, nullahs and ravines in the capital city. The major objectives of the MoU signed at CDA Headquarters are cleaning of polluted streams and habitat recovery of biodiversity as well as flora and fauna. The project also focuses on identification of major natural and manmade point and non-point sources of pollution to the natural streams in Islamabad. However, despite that the sewerage of housing societies and other sources are continuing to spill into streams converting these fresh water sources into filthy nullahs.