Controversial Kuri Landfill Project: Minister calls in CDA, Pak-EPA bosses
Controversial Kuri Landfill Project: Minister calls in CDA, Pak-EPA bosses
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: Taking action on reports about potential environmental hazards of Kuri landfill, Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi has summoned a meeting of the CDA and Pak-EPA on June 16.A senior ministry official told Daily Times on Saturday, “We have written to the CDA and Pak-EPA to appear before the minister on June 16 at his office and address reservations of stakeholders about unsuitability of Kuri landfill.”It has been learnt that the meeting was earlier scheduled for Monday but it was delayed due to Afridi’s visit to FATA.All stakeholders and environment expert Dr Ameer Haider have also been called to the meeting.“If construction of landfill at Kuri is potential threat to environment, it will be stopped,” a ministry official quoted the minister as saying. He said objective of the landfill was to properly dispose of solid and liquid waste to control environment degradation but the project in itself might be a threat to the environment, he said. The CDA claims to have obtained NOC for the landfill from the Pak-EPA but it did not make public Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the project, on which the NOC is actually based. Environmentalists express concerns over approval of the landfill project by the Pak-EPA, since the Pakistan Metrological Department and foreign qualified experts, appointed by the Higher Education Commission, have opposed the project due to its adverse effects.Pak-EPA Director-General Asif Shuja said the CDA had got the EIA study of the project conducted by Quiad-i-Azam University (QAU) and the Pak-EPA had just examined this report.The CDA officials, however, are not ready to share contents of this report with journalists for reasons best known to them. Shuja said the NOC issued for the landfill was conditional. “Conditional NOC means the CDA can construct the landfill only after addressing reservations of the stakeholders,” he said.Environmentalists believed that mafia were behind the project otherwise its location in catchments of a river was ample proof that it would degrade the environment. CDA Deputy Director General Mustafain Kazmi has told Daily Times that the CDA obtained the NOC from Pak-EPA in February and construction of the landfill would start soon. Kazmi said Kuri area was the only option for building the landfill. “Land possession is a time consuming task. It will take years if we start acquiring land for the project in another area at this time. So Kuri is the only option for this project.” It has been learnt that Saif Group, a private company, which has already been engaged in a similar project in Lahore, will construct the Kuri landfill.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\08\story_8-6-2008_pg11_1
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: Taking action on reports about potential environmental hazards of Kuri landfill, Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi has summoned a meeting of the CDA and Pak-EPA on June 16.A senior ministry official told Daily Times on Saturday, “We have written to the CDA and Pak-EPA to appear before the minister on June 16 at his office and address reservations of stakeholders about unsuitability of Kuri landfill.”It has been learnt that the meeting was earlier scheduled for Monday but it was delayed due to Afridi’s visit to FATA.All stakeholders and environment expert Dr Ameer Haider have also been called to the meeting.“If construction of landfill at Kuri is potential threat to environment, it will be stopped,” a ministry official quoted the minister as saying. He said objective of the landfill was to properly dispose of solid and liquid waste to control environment degradation but the project in itself might be a threat to the environment, he said. The CDA claims to have obtained NOC for the landfill from the Pak-EPA but it did not make public Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the project, on which the NOC is actually based. Environmentalists express concerns over approval of the landfill project by the Pak-EPA, since the Pakistan Metrological Department and foreign qualified experts, appointed by the Higher Education Commission, have opposed the project due to its adverse effects.Pak-EPA Director-General Asif Shuja said the CDA had got the EIA study of the project conducted by Quiad-i-Azam University (QAU) and the Pak-EPA had just examined this report.The CDA officials, however, are not ready to share contents of this report with journalists for reasons best known to them. Shuja said the NOC issued for the landfill was conditional. “Conditional NOC means the CDA can construct the landfill only after addressing reservations of the stakeholders,” he said.Environmentalists believed that mafia were behind the project otherwise its location in catchments of a river was ample proof that it would degrade the environment. CDA Deputy Director General Mustafain Kazmi has told Daily Times that the CDA obtained the NOC from Pak-EPA in February and construction of the landfill would start soon. Kazmi said Kuri area was the only option for building the landfill. “Land possession is a time consuming task. It will take years if we start acquiring land for the project in another area at this time. So Kuri is the only option for this project.” It has been learnt that Saif Group, a private company, which has already been engaged in a similar project in Lahore, will construct the Kuri landfill.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\08\story_8-6-2008_pg11_1
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