ENVIRONMENT-PAKISTAN: BUSINESS SCAM BEHIND DANISH PLANT EXP AN INTER PRESS SERVICE FEATURE

By Pratap Chatterjee Reprint | | Print |

PRATAP CHATTERJEE

LAHORE, Nov 16 1994 (IPS) - PLANS TO IMPORT A SECOND-HAND CHLORINE FACTORY FROM DENMARK ARE A COVER-UP FOR A DANISH COMPANY TO GET RID OF HIGHLY TOXIC EQUIPMENT WHILE PROVIDING PAKISTAN BUSINESSES WITH CHEAP ELECTRICITY, CHARGE ACTIVISTS.

RAVI ALKALIS, A COMPANY RUN BY THE LAHORE-BASED JAMIL FAMILY, HAS PAID DANSK SOJAKAGEFABRIK (DS) INDUSTRIES OF COPENHAGEN 6.5 MILLIONP DOLLARS TO DISMANTLE AND SHIP A MERCURY CELL CHLOR-ALKALI FACTORY THAT WAS SHUT DOWN IN COPENHAGEN IN 1991.

THE FACTORY WILL BE REASSEMBLED AT SHEIKHUPURA, SOME 30 KILOMETRES OUTSIDE THIS CITY, FOR THE OSTENSIBLE PURPOSE OF PRODUCING CHLORINE AND CAUSTIC SODA FROM SALT. ACTIVISTS SAY THE REAL PURPOSE IS ANYTHINGP BUT THIS.

DANISH ACTIVISTS SAY THE PURPOSE OF THE SCHEME IS TO SAVE DS INDUSTRIES THE EXPENSE OF DISPOSING OF THE COPENHAGEN FACTORY’S EQUIPMENT, WHICH HAS BECOME SO CONTAMINATED WITH THE TOXIC MERCURY USED TO EXTRACT THE PRODUCTS, THAT THE ENTIRE CHLORINE PRODUCTION PLANT WAS ONCE CLASSIFIED AS HAZARDOUS WASTE.

THE CLASSIFICATION WAS CHANGED THROUGH A LEGAL LOOPHOLE, BY IFINDIMG A FOREIGN BUYER O OPERATE IT, ACCORDING TH KARSTEN POULSEN, A DANISH ACTIVIST FROM THE GROUP BEBOERFORENINGEN BYRYGGEGRUPPERNE, WHO LIVES NEAR THE CURRENT FACTORY SITE.

“WHAT)THE CURRENT TRADE IS REALLY ALL ABOUT, IS A DANISH COMPANY TRYING TO GET RID OF AN OLD PRODUCTION PLANT WHICH WAS NO LONGER ECONOMICALLY SOUND NOR ABLE TO MEET FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS,” WROTE POULSEN IN A LETTER TO PAKISTANI ACTIVISTS.

IPS ENQUIRIES INDICATE THAT THE JAMIL FAMILY HAS BOUGHT THE CONTAMINATED FACTORY MOSTLY BECAUSE OF A 10 MEGAWATT POWER-PLANT INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE.

CHLORINE, THE MAJOR PRODUCT FROM THE FACTORY, IS ALREADY IN MASSIVE OVER-PRODUCTION IN PAKISTAN. EVEN RAVI ALKALIS OFFICIALS SAY THAT A LOT OF THE CHLORINE IS CONVERTED INTO HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND DUMPED INTO LOCAL WATERWAYS.

TWO INDEPENDENT SOURCES TOLD IPS THE JAMIL FAMILY HAD ADMITTED TO THEM THAT THEY ACQUIRED THE FACTORY FOR ITS POWER GENERATING CAPACITY AND NOT FOR CHLORINE PRODUCTION. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY BABAR ALI, THE ENBQR8./-1 ( &903 HOECHST- RAVI JOINT VENTURE, WHO TOLD IPS THAT THE JAMIL FAMILY HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR A POWER PLANT.

“THIS IS INCORRECT. WE WERE INTERESTED IN PRODUCING CHLORINE,” A RAVI SPOKESPERSON TOLD IPS. HE SAID- NEW CHLORINE PLANT WOULD HAVE COST 1.5 BILLION RUPEES (50 MILLION DOLLARS) WHICH IS WHY THEY WERE DELIGHTED WHEN PERRY’S, A BROKER, TOLD THEM ABOUT THE DANISH FACTORY.