A division of the Kohat Cement Factory has been closed down by the Environmental Protection Agency Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the factory’s environmentally unfriendly practices which has contributed to increased pollution in Peshawar.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) action against the factory came in response to public complaints of increased dust and consequent health complications due the increased pollution.
Director General of EPA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Doctor Muhammad Bashir stated that a team from the EPA was sent to inspect the cement factory. The team discovered that the factory was violating pollution limits. They discovered that Line A of the factory was creating more dust pollution than was permissible according to the EPA.
The factory has a total of three production sections, out of which only Line A was found to be violating the dust pollution threshold. That is why only Line A was closed while the remaining two are still operational.
Line A of the factory will remain closed till the facility complies with the relevant environmental laws.
Green Policy
After coming into power in 2013 the then ruling party of KP Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was particularly focused on their environmental policy. Several environmental or green policies were presented to the media.
The policies ranged from greener cities and tree plantation drives to sustainable developmental policies. Although previous governments have touched upon the subject of green reforms and environmental policies none have done so as vigorously as the PTI.
The government’s Bus Rapid Transit Project is also facing public criticism based on how it has been mismanaged. The residents of Peshawar have voiced their concerns that the still pending BRT Project is polluting the main areas in the city, particularly the commercial blocks, due to the spread of noise, dust and rubble throughout the city.
