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Plan to combat

pollution ready

SIALKOT: The federal government has prepared an action plan for combating the excessive threats of pollution caused by the tanners and other industries in the country.

Official sources told APP here on Sunday that the step was being taken for minimising and reducing the pollution load caused by the tanneries and other industries in various industrial towns.

In Sialkot, under the plan an industrial zones for tanneries would be established in the near-future and cleaner production technology would be introduced in the existing tanneries for low waste and no waste. Efforts would also be made for introducing a new technology of low waste and no waste in the tanneries. Besides, special steps would also be taken for imparting the training and educating the tanneries owners about the waste and no waste technology.

The introduction of cleaner production technology in the tanneries would be helpful in improving the quality of leather.

In future the setting up of new tanneries in populated urban and rural areas would be discouraged. The Wapda will be directed that no new connection without obtaining No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the concerned authorities and district management for the establishment of tanneries should be sanctioned.

The purpose behind the plan was to avert the threats of environmental pollution caused by the ill-planned tanneries and other industries. At present, the affluent of tanneries functioning in and close of Sialkot were creating serious threats to fertility of agricultural land, human and marine life.

As many as 234 tanneries of different capacities were functioning in and close to Sialkot and were constant source of pollution.ÑAPP