National Pak-EPA to hold Naval Anchorage Extension EIA report public hearing on Monday

Islamabad: The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has announced a public hearing on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Naval Anchorage Islamabad (Extension) project. The hearing will take place on Monday at 11 am at the Administration Office of the Anchorage.

The EIA report provides a detailed account of:

– Existing environmental conditions
– Project description
– Analysis of impacts
– Suggested mitigation measures

The Naval Anchorage project was initiated by the Pakistan Navy in 1993 and completed in 1998, aiming to provide affordable housing for Navy staff and their families. The project spans 5,170 kanals, with 3,683 residential units, of which 864 are already constructed.

The society has infrastructure like schools, transport, and a golf club but lacks proper waste disposal facilities. The EIA report highlights impacts and mitigation measures for:

– Solid waste: proper waste disposal facilities will be established
– Noise pollution: standby generators will be covered, and tree plantations will act as noise buffers
– Air pollution: HVAC equipment will be installed to cleanse the air
– Wastewater: septic tanks will be built for each housing unit

The society has allocated Rs22.2 million for environmental management and monitoring costs.

The public hearing aims to gather comments from the general public on the EIA report, available at the Pak-EPA library.