BRIEF NOTE
ON
KASUR TANNERY POLLUTION
CONTROL
PROJECT[1]
(Year: 1995)
KASUR CITY
The town of Kasur in
situated about 55 Km southeast of Lahore, near the border with India, where
River Sutlej enters in Pakistan. Kasur has
been known since antiquity as a centre of trade, commerce and culture. According to the last (1981) census the
total population of the city was about 155,500. For 1996 it is estimated to be about 3,00,000.
The municipal boundary
covers an area of about 2,387 acres surrounded by agricultural land. Due to
uncontrolled and haphazard discharge of tannery effluent about 400 acres are at
'present under water resulting in the so-called stagnant pools, for which the
town has become infamous during the last few years as one of the most heavily
polluted towns in Pakistan.
2.
THE TANNING INDUSTRY IN KASUR
Tanning has a longstanding
tradition in Kasur. Initially tanneries
in which all operations were carried out, manually and in which tree bark was
used for tanning purpose had been established in the Dingarh area on the bank
of the River, perhaps with an incentive to discharge tanneries effluent into
it. Subsequently, tanneries started spreading over a wider area towards the
south of the river and Kot Abdul Qadir, Niaz Nagar and Yunas Nagar Tannery
clusters gradually developed. At present there are about 180 tanneries in
Kasur.
According to data provided
by the Tanneries Association, Dingarh, Kasur, the average daily output of all
tanneries in Kasur is estimated to be over 180 tons; of wet salted weight,
coming out of some 8,000 hided (cattle, buffalo's and between 12,000 to 15,000
skins (sheep and goats) per day.
Sanitary conditions both within and outside tanneries are very bad by
any standard.
3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Kasur Tanneries Pollution Control Project has been conceived with the collaboration of UNDP to address the pollution problems created by operation, of these 180 tanneries in Kasur. The objective of the project in to evacuate stagnant pools or waste water spread over an area of 400 acres, provide tanneries effluent collection system from various clusters of tanneries, provide collective preliminary treatment, effluent disposal system, arrange solid waste management system, provide in-house pollution control methods in the tanneries and organize institutional set up to improve the occupational health and safety of workers and generally improve sanitary conditions of about 3 lac (300,000) inhabitants of Kasur.
The original PC-1 of the
project was approved by ECNEC for Re.263.84 million (US$ 10.147 million) and
Administrative Approval was accorded by HP&EPP (Housing Physical and
Environmental Planning, Punjab) Department, Lahore on 4.4.1995 (April 4,
1995).
4. SPONSORING AGNECY
The project is unique as it
is one of the first few attempts at private-public sector collaboration. UNDP,
Government of the Pakistan, Export Promotion Bureau, Government of the Punjab and
Tanneries Association, Kasur are the sponsors of the project. Their input i an
under:
|
Sr. No. |
Name of Agency |
Share Cost |
|
1 |
UNDP/UNIDO |
Rs. 65.000 Million |
|
2 |
Government of Pakistan
(PSDP) Pakistan Sustainable Development Program |
Rs. 13.000 Million + any
shortfall |
|
3 |
Govt. of Pakistan (EDF
throug Export Promotion Bureau) |
Rs. 80.000 Million |
|
4 |
Govt. of Punjab |
Rs. 86.000 Million |
|
5 |
Tanners Association, Kasur |
Rs. 20.000 Million |
|
|
Total |
Rs. 264.000 Million |
5. EXECUTING AGENCY
Project Directorate, KTPCP,
KTWMA, H&PP Department, Government of the Punjab.
[1] Reproduced copy for Internet information resources
Source: Environmental Protection Department, Punjab.