RAHIM YAR KHAN: The increasing number of tyre burning factories (pyrolysis plants) in Rahim Yar Khan is not only alarming for the residents in the vicinity but also seem to be a challenge for the departments supposed to crack down on them.

There are more than 15 tyre burning factories near Roshan Bhait village on the national highway, Katcha Sadigabad Road, Pattan Minara Road, at Chak 52-P and Sanjarpur. Some factories are being established and none of these has adopted the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the Environment Protection Department (EPD) nor has any got No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the authorities.

These factories are a source of hazardous emissions which appear in the form of clouds of smoke. Many residents of Mauza Roshan Bhait, Chak 5-NP and neighbouring areas complain about health problems for the last many years.

It is learnt that one of these factories is owned by an influential politician and it started its operations five months ago right in the middle of a congested rural area near Abu Dahbi Palace. Basti Kambohan, having a sizeable population, is almost 100 meters away from this factory which is close to the Islamia University`s RYK campus andSheikh Zayed Palace.

Karim Nawaz Durrani, Umar Farooq, Muhammad Ahmad, Abid Mehais and Sabtain Sindhu told this correspondent that most people were affected by the emissions of the factory. The hazardous smoke was causing respiratory, skin and eye diseases among the residents, they said.

Farooq said his mother had been facing asthma issue for the last four months while a nephew, Ahmed, has developed a skin problem.

Besides, the layer of blacl( ash has affected a mango orchard, sugarcane and cotton crops by reducing its yield. Their livestock also are having problemsleading to decline in the production of milk.

Durrani, who owns a mango orchard, claims to have advertised to sell of the agricultural land because of emissions.

Meanwhile, a data collected from the Basic Health Centre of Chak 52-P shows that the number of patients of respiratory diseases has increased during the last six months. In December 2021, there were 713 patients but in January 2022, the number increased to 1,030 and reached 1,574 by May.

Similarly, during this period, the number of patients with skin diseases increased from 107 in January to 331 in April.

Shaikh Zayed Medical CollegeHospital Assistant Professor Community Medicine Dr Ghulam Mustafa said these emissions caused serious health problems such as COPD, asthma, emphysema and heart diseases.

A tyre burning factory daily procures one to two containers of 55 tons each (three piece cut tyre) from big importers of Karachi because the local used tyres fail to meet the demand. A 55-ton container costs almost Rs2.2 million to Rs2.5 million at the rate of Rs42 per kilogram. These used tyres are processed.

The residents had submitted many applications to the deputy commissioner, Municipal Committee, EPD, Mepco and itstribunal but to no avail. They allege that officials facilitate these factories due to the influence their owners wield.

The residents allege that most factorylabourersare drugaddicts as no one wants to work there.

Owing to high temperature and blasts in boilers in the factory, some labourers fainted in the past.

Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology`s Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering Additional Director Dr Umair Azhar says burning of tyres in the open is extremely harmful to human health and the natural environment because it`s 50 times more hazardous than any other burning. It also produces Sulpher Dioxide in heavy quantities besides other chemicals, he added.

EPD Assistant Director Aamir Rehmani admitted that there were 15 pyrolysis plants producing black smoke and specific smell. He said that in December 2021 all these plants were sealed but most of them function at night, which is illegal. He said the EPD had no mechanism to evaluate the dangerous level of pollution emissions of these plants however samples analysed by some laboratories reported against them.

RYK District Council Land EnforcementInspectorMuhammad Adnan says he received threats from the illegal tyre burning factory on Äbe-e-Hayyat canal when he went to seal the factory due to its unapproved map.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza says a plant near Chak 52-P was sealed two days ago. He said the district administration ensures FIRs against violators.