BARA: Residents and traders of Bara Bazaar on Sunday urged the authorities to resolve the issue of toxic smoke emitted by steel mills and plastic factories operating in residential areas of Bara tehsil in Khyber tribal district.
They complained that several illegal steel mills and other factories had been established in Kalanga, Alamgudar, Karigar Garhi, Malik Garhi and other localities.“Influential people have set up dozens of steel mills and factories in residential areas, emitting poisonous smoke and creating serious problems for residents,” local elder Saleem Afridi told The News.
He said that several steel mills, marble factories and other units were releasing smoke that disturbed daily life.The elder added that raw materials from steel and marble factories were also being dumped along roadsides and streets.
“We shifted to Peshawar in 2012 due to militancy, but now we cannot return home to Bara because of the poisonous smoke from steel mills and factories,” another resident, Dr Tariq Afridi, said.
He added that people were facing severe difficulties due to factories surrounding Bara Bazaar and nearby residential areas. Many residents, he said, had sold their properties and moved to Peshawar and other places because of the problem.
The resident claimed that dozens of people had developed ailments, including chest infections, due to the toxic smoke and foul smell.Muhammad Asif, a resident of Sheikhan village near Bara, told this scribe that he was preparing to vacate his house and relocate because of the smoke and stench from factories.
“Our area is facing a host of problems due to illegally established factories,” he said, adding that people were suffering from chest, stomach and other diseases.He complained that factory owners had failed to install chimneys to release smoke and gas safely, allowing fumes to spread into residential areas.
Asif said the Khyber administration and other relevant departments had failed to check factories in Bara, leaving residents, particularly women, confined indoors and suffering.Residents of Alamgudar, Karigar Garhi, Malik Garhi, Zulfiqar Garhi and Kalanga appealed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and other senior officials to order the relocation of factories away from residential areas.
When contacted, Bara Assistant Commissioner Talha Rafiq said the administration had launched a crackdown against steel mill owners who had not installed smoke-control filters.He said a summary had been sent to the relevant department against mills lacking pollution-control measures, warning that illegal steel mills would be sealed if owners failed to control emissions.
