EPA to conduct public hearing on Sangjani landfill site next month

ISLAMABAD-The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has decided to conduct the public hearing on November 17 to grant approval to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for establishment of a permanent landfill site at Sangjani. 

“Our application for public hearing has been accepted and we will soon float an advertisement in the national dailies to invite all the stakeholders in the EPA’s public hearing for submitting their comments on the construction of proposed landfill site at Sangjani,” CDA Director Sanitation Sardar Khan Zimri told APP. 

He said the sanitation department had already submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment report along with the feasibility study for the landfill site to the Pak-EPA.

“We have prepared our case for defending the decision regarding development of the landfill site in Sangjani,” the director maintained.  

He said a private consultant, hired by the sanitation wing to conduct the feasibility of project, had selected 100 hectares of land near Sangjani for setting up the facility on permanent basis due to its minimum hauling distance, suitable topography, distant from aircraft route for flight safety and socio-environmental factors,

He said the CDA would start the work on the project soon after getting the Pak-EPA approval. “We will try to adopt Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode for early completion of project.”

Zimri said under the EPC mode, it would be responsibility of the contractor to design, construct and maintain the landfill site.

It may be surprising for most of the citizens that the federal capital is still missing a permanent landfill site even after a lapse of almost five decades, which is imperative for ensuring clean and green environment in the city.

Earlier, Capital Development Authority and Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad have selected multiple sites like Kurri landfill and others but unfortunately all kind of waste is still being stashed in sector I-12 reportedly where the citizens are bearing the brunt of that makeshift arrangement. 

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/19-Oct-2020/epa-to-conduct-public-hearing-on-sangjani-landfill-site-next-month