District admin urged to order shifting of charcoal plant from residential area

CHITRAL: The district admin has been urged to order shifting of charcoal plant from residential area.

The crash plant was installed by the communication and works (C&W) department in complete disregard to the environment concerns of the residents.

Talking to ChitralToday, social activist Muhammad Younus Khan of Kosht appealed to the executive engineer of the C&W department to shift the plant from the area in the best interest of the residents including students. He said the dust and smoke arising from the plant site was polluting the environment making it difficult even for the travellers to breathe. He said the district administration should take notice of the issue and order the relocation of the plant without delay.

About 3,000 houses and educational institutions are directly being affected by this plant including Jinal Koch and Government Girls Degree College and its hostels situated near the plant due to air pollution that has engulfed most of the area. A person can’t breathe fresh air for a single minute without wearing a mask in the nearby areas. It is difficult to imagine how the local residents would be able to live in such a polluted environment. Talking to ChitralToday, Dr Karim of the Aga Khan Medical Centre Booni had earlier said carbon emitting from the plant was too much dangerous for the health of the local residents.

There are too much barren lands where the plant could have been installed but fixing it near the residential areas did not make sense and it would definitely leave affects in the long run. He said the impact of the pollution crested by the plant would include skin, heart diseases and respiratory problems.