ANI
Updated At : 02:00 PM Apr 02, 2026 IST
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], April 2 (ANI): The marble industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand district, once praised for creating jobs and spurring economic activity, is increasingly criticised for causing serious environmental and safety harms.
Residents and experts warn that unregulated operations are damaging waterways, agricultural land and infrastructure across the area, Dawn reported.
Mohmand is rich in minerals including marble, chromite and nephrite, resources that have supported local livelihoods and added to the national economy. But the lack of stringent oversight has led to environmental degradation.
Authorities had initiated the Mohmand Marble City project — now the Mohmand Economic Zone at Machnai — to concentrate factories in a regulated industrial area with proper waste-management systems. Despite this, only a handful of units have relocated; most continue to operate in Halimzai tehsil, notably around Chanda, Sangar and Nasapai.
Experts say many factories discharge untreated wastewater, marble slurry and dust into natural streams. This dumping is clogging drainage channels and raising the risk of flash floods during heavy rains.
Officials warn that blocked drains could inflict severe damage on homes, farms and roads.
The fallout also affects government-built small dams intended to mitigate water scarcity. Reservoirs are rapidly filling with industrial debris. A check dam near Chanda Bazaar is nearly choked, and the Abdul Shakoor Small Dam near Ghalanai faces similar sedimentation, threatening irrigation and fisheries projects, Dawn reported.
Residents say repeated complaints to authorities have not produced action. Observers blame weak enforcement of environmental laws for allowing unsafe industrial practices.
Stakeholders are calling for immediate measures: strict enforcement of regulations, relocation of hazardous units to the economic zone, and urgent desilting of dams and waterways to avert further ecological and economic damage, according to Dawn. (ANI)
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