THIS refers to the apathy of the district administration towards a steel mill being constructed in a densely populated area surrounded by schools, houses and agricultural lands at Sakhakot, Malakand.
The district administration has been intimated about the potential hazards this steel mill could pose in the form of air pollution, dried up sweet water wells and noise pollution, to name a few. This steel mill is being constructed against the wishes of the local people who are mainly poorfarmers. Protests have been also staged against its construction.
But the district administration keeps mum on the pretext that environmental laws are not extended to Malakand district because it is a Provincially-Administered Tribal Area.
The Constitution gives me the right to have access to clean air and water, for they are the basic necessities for human survival.
Although the environmental laws may not have been extended, at least the dwellers of Sakhakot have the right to a clean environment.
There is a mushroom growth of industries at inappropriate places in the region because the area is tax-free. There have been protests and processions by the people, but money and power have all the say.
While the provincial government is spearheading a campaign of planting billion trees, people are suffering from industrial wastes in the form of dust and water pollution, which is becoming a source of illnesses and chronic diseases.
I request PTI chief Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and environmental protection agency to look into this rapid and unplanned industrialisation of the area.
