ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court`s attention was drawn on Wednesday to the ecological degradation caused by rock excavation in Murree Hills.

Five residents of Galiyat wrote a letter to Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk asking him to take notice of the immense damage being caused to the ecology of the green valleys by deforestation and rock crushing in valleysfrom Ghora Gali to Lora a union council in adjoining Abbottabad district.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a similar case regarding the lung disease, silicosis, which has caused the deaths of labourers working in stone crushing industry.

The letter has been written by advocate Yasir Akhtar, Wasig Saleem, Masoodur Rehman, Jawadullah Khan and Obaidur Rehman.

They pointed out that wide-scale rock excavation is polluting the living environment for those living in adjoining villages.

Rock excavation is resulting in loss of green pastures and pine trees and polluting drinking water.

In support of their claims, the applicants have also attached an article which appeared in an English Daily titled: `Back to the StoneAge`, in which it was alleged that around 14 stone crushing units have sprung up along the road leading to village Nag Tootial in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) part of the Galiyat some 20km away from the main Rawalpindi-Murree Road.

The article recalled that Ayub Khan as the then president had ordered the forest department to plant trees in the area with the establishment of Ayub National Park. The forest department planted a large number of pine trees on hilltops from Maloot to Lora.

Now the stone crushing industry, the article stated, has wrought havoc and destruction upon the area for pure business purposes.

Precious trees are being cut in large numbers because of unchecked stone excavation, turning the green hills into an area where airis thick with dust and noise levels are almost unbearable.

Various species of birds inhabiting the hills have all but disappeared and natural springs are drying up. Health problems among residents are also on the rise.

Stone crushing machines have been placed on road sides damaging the road network.

Under environmental laws, it is binding upon the rock excavation industry to put systems in place to control noise and dust.

However, these regulations are being ignored with impunity.

The applicants pointed out that Ghora Gali to Lora Road falls between Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa making it the joint responsibility of both provincial governments to curb what the applicants claimed is illegal activity.