Sources said the current plant’s designed capacity was to treat 12,600 cubic metres waste per day in 2001 while presently about 18,000 cubic metres per day effluent are being received. Sources said the residents of the adjoining area and nature are facing serious environmental and health hazards due to untreated waste, so there is a need of upgrade of the plant immediately.
Since 2007, tanners in Kasur area, located near Lahore, have been responsible for the operational expenditure of the treatment plant but some of the tanners are not depositing their charges properly.
An investment of Rs800 million (US$7.9 million), has been set aside for the upgrade of this treatment plant while the ‘fat extraction unit’ is installed with the financial assistance of UNIDO. The new unit will be operational soon after the training of technical staff say local media reports.
The Secretary Environment also asked for the upgrade of the tannery wastewater treatment plant to be approved quickly and requested that the tanners now play their role for the upgrade and smooth operation of the Kasur tannery wastewater treatment plant as it is their responsibility under the law.
The Kasur Tannery Common Effluent Primary Treatment Plant (CEPT) was installed at a cost of Rs497 million ($4.9 million) with the financial assistance of the Government of Punjab (33%), UNDP (29.6%), Government of Pakistan (2.4%), Export Promotion Bureau (30%) and tanners of Kasur (5%).
