Faisalabad: More than half of Faisalabad’s urban industrial units have been classified as posing a very high environmental risk in a multi-dimensional survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), prompting authorities to initiate action against industries operating in residential areas.
The survey, conducted as part of a plan to relocate environmentally hazardous industrial units outside the city, identified boiler emissions, untreated industrial effluent and proximity to residential neighbourhoods as the main risk factors.
According to the survey report, 568 industrial units are located within 0.5 kilometres of residential areas, while 441 units operate inside or immediately adjacent to populated neighbourhoods. It also found that 734 industrial units were operating without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the EPA.
The report stated that 782 industrial units are spread across 105 union councils, employing a total of 43,612 workers. It further identified 70 industrial units operating without mandatory environmental approvals or chemical licences and in violation of land-use regulations, recommending that they should not be regularised due to the environmental and public health risks they pose.
Following the survey, the Industry Relocation Committee, chaired by Commissioner Faisalabad Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh, decided to initiate action against industrial units located in residential areas that pose potential risks to public safety.
Inspection teams comprising officials from the Labour Department, Municipal Corporation and EPA have been constituted to inspect all 441 industrial units identified within urban residential areas. The inspections will review environmental approvals, labour registration, building plan approvals, and the capacity and safety standards of boilers and pressure vessels, with initial notices to be issued to the units.
Dr Sheikh said industrial units operating without the required approvals would not be allowed to continue functioning within city limits, adding that the safety of industrial workers and nearby residents would remain the administration’s top priority.
The meeting also reviewed progress on relocating industries from residential areas to designated industrial zones.
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