According to Pakistan’s Minute Mirror newspaper, the Punjab Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to demolish top pollution-causing industry, pyrolysis plants in the city, under its steps to control the smog.

Authorities have put a restriction on all the activities that cause smog since Lahore has become one of the most polluted cities in the world. However, despite the ban, these plants continued to operate, producing cheap, substandard oil and releasing toxic smoke, which increased the air pollution.

“Despite the various activities and sealing over the violation, these again continued their work in connivance of EPA officials,” an official privy to development informed the newspaper. He said that such plants burnt used tires to extract harmful environmental oil, steel wires, and huge amounts of carbon ash.

According to another official, after the strict warning of the previous environment secretary, EPA Lahore DO provided a list of over 20 pyrolysis plants. “Most of them were sealed during the ongoing anti-smog actions but most of them were reportedly working again after breaking seals,” he said.

He informed that the EPA team followed some trucks carrying used tires and traced 12 pyrolysis plants. These plants include Sawel Khan Pyrolysis Plant, Qadir Khan Pyrolysis Plant, Iqbal Pyrolysis Plant, Haji Aslam Pyrolysis Plant, Javed Khan Pyrolysis Plant, and SA Kasuri Pyrolysis Plant.

He also stated that it was the responsibility of field staff not to open them again and this matter had forced EPA to demolish such plants as this was the only solution left with the department. EPD’s Secretary Usman Ali Khan confirmed that the department had decided to demolish these plants as they were operating illegally while producing a huge amount of toxic oil and carbon ash.

Source: Minute Mirror newspaper.