Tanneries raided in Korangi, Pakistan
A team from Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Agency, headed by Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Environmental Affairs, Muhammad Noman Saigal, raided factories in the Korangi industrial area in Karachi on Saturday May 7 and suspended operations at four leather tanneries. The provincial government has initiated action against factories violating environmental laws as set out by WTO. The factories which have been directed to stop operations are Muhammad Saleem Tanneries, Shaukat International, Mahkamuddin and Aminuddin and Z A Shaikh and Company.
Director general of the Environmental Protection Agency Iqbal Nafees told journalists that despite repeated requests and warnings these four tanneries continued to disregard instructions and failed to comply with environmental laws.He also said that the EPA staff was manhandled by employees of some factories .
Saigal said that repeated notices were sent to these tanneries, telling them about the health hazard that they were creating through their chemical effluent. They were asked to install treatment plants but they refused to comply.
