Environmental issues in
Pakistan have been disturbing the balance between economic development and
environmental protection. As a great problem for the nature and nation of
Pakistan and As Pakistan is a large importer of both exhaustible and renewable
natural resources and a large consumer of fossil fuels, the Ministry of
Environment of Government of Pakistan takes responsibility to conserve and
protect the environment.
We should definitely like to see Pakistan without any environmental issue but
currently there are lots of challenges. As in fact we are growing at the rate of
more than 8 percent in GDP and creating lots of economic opportunities, this is
also growing stress and implications on environment. The constant growth in
population is another massive challenge. As we grow economically, we have to
decide at this point in time that we ensure better quality of life. At the end
of the day, when we have more money but our quality of life suffers and we can’t
breathe and drink pure water; then it is not worth it.
A number of serious environmental problems are inherent in the country, which
are of great ecological concern in terms of its sustainable economic future.
These include soil erosion, pesticide misuse, deforestation, desertification,
urban pollution, water logging & salinity, freshwater pollution and marine water
pollution, just to name a few. The major constraint to overcoming these
problems, in-fact perhaps the main contributor to their intensity is the
population growth, which is very high in contrast to the natural limited
resources that are available to the people. Also included in the constraints is
the unsustainable use and management of these resources. Around 140 million
people live in this country, making it the seventh most populous country in the
world. The rate of population growth is one of the fastest and according to
estimates it would double in just 25 years (UNDP 1997). What is obvious from
this is, if the population continues to grow at this rate, it would take a
severe toll in the environment. The reason being that the country is not endowed
with the resources required sustaining a huge population. Although it is
primarily an agricultural country, the landscape is predominantly arid. Water,
already a scarce commodity in most parts of the country, is now facing further
shortages. This is also due in part to inadequate distribution and the coercion
of the water-tanker mafia. This shortage is hindering the country's potential to
develop agriculture. There are limited indigenous sources of energy, fossil fuel
reserves are low and there is no great potential in the biomass energy.
The combination of a large population and poor resource environment means that
judicious means of energy use and minimum waste systems of production as well as
lifestyles must be employed for sustainable development. The picture in Pakistan
is however very different in fact totally opposite to this. Energy use is
excessively inefficient; Pakistan's GDP per unit energy used is 4.0, which ranks
it 69th out of 110 countries for which data is available . (UNDP). This waste of
energy is combined with the need to import fossil fuels and as a consequence
there is a very low productive per capita use of energy.
Environmental issues
Current issues: Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and
agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the
population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification. Little attention was paid to pollution .Some are these Related
concerns, such as sanitation and potable water, received earlier scrutiny. In
1987 only about 6 percent of rural residents and 51 percent of urban residents
had access to sanitary facilities; a Greater success has been achieved in
bringing potable water within reach of the people; nearly half the population
enjoyed such access by 1990. However, researchers at the Pakistan Medical
Research Council, recognizing that a large proportion of diseases in Pakistan
are caused by the consumption of polluted water, have been questioning the
"safe" classification in use in the 1990s. Even the 38 percent of the population
that receives its water through pipelines runs the risk of consuming seriously
contaminated water, although the problem varies by area. In Punjab, for example,
as much as 90 percent of drinking water comes from groundwater, as compared with
only 9 percent in Sindh.
The central government's Perspective Plan (1988–2003) and previous five-year
plans do not mention sustainable development strategies. Further, there have
been no overarching policies focused on sustainable development and
conservation. The state has focused on achieving self-sufficiency in food
production, meeting energy demands, and containing the high rate of population
growth, not on curtailing pollution or other environmental hazards.
In 1992 Pakistan's National Conservation Strategy Report attempted to redress
the previous inattention to the nation's mounting environmental problem. Drawing
on the expertise of more than 3,000 people from a wide array of political
affiliations, the government produced a document outlining the current state of
environmental health, its sustainable goals, and viable program options for the
future.
Environmental affects
Impacts on health
The poor cannot deal with the impacts of a degraded environment. Their habitats
are environmentally vulnerable and they do not have access to many facilities.
As a result they are prone to diseases because they reside in low-income houses
usually in industrial areas and have little choice in the quality of their
nutritional intake. This increases their vulnerability to diseases, which they
do not have the capacity to treat. They have minimum access to health services
and spend long hours in polluted work places (factories) or work as unskilled
labour. In the rural areas also, the poor usually work as labour on somebody
else's farm and the incessant use of pesticides and fertilizers increases their
exposure to health risks.
Degradation of the urban environment
Urban growth is estimated to be 4.6% per annum. This is mainly a consequence of
the high rate of rural-urban migration that contributes to the rapid decay of
urban environment. Estimates indicate that 6 million (16%) people are unemployed
and this is expected to increase by 500,000 annually. The increase in
population, unemployment, and pressure on agricultural lands means migration to
urban areas.
The migrants usually are poor and are forced to live in urban slums. Out of the
total population 45% of the people in Sindh and 50% in Punjab live in one-room
houses. They often are not linked to water supplies and sanitation. The reason
is their lack of financial resources and the administration does not provide
these because that might give them legal status. They also do not invest in
their residences as they either do not have the money or are afraid of being
evicted.
When the utility services are not available, unhealthy practices are adopted.
Waste is dumped out in the open and becomes a source of water contamination.
HEALTH ISSUES
Water contamination causes serious problems and water supply standards set by
WHO are rarely met (SDPI 1995). 50% of the population has access to piped water
(Dr. Mehboob Ul Haq - 1997) and the rural water supply coverage in 1997-98 was
90% according to an appraisal done by the World Bank (Human Development Index,
2003). However this did not take into account the private sector's provision of
potable water. The surveys by UNICEF/Ministry of Health, give different
indications. In the 1995 survey by UNICEF (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey),
it was revealed that 17% of the rural households have piped water and 52% had
family hand pumps (Social Development in Pakistan, 1999).
Water quality is deteriorating due to biological contamination from human waste,
chemical pollutants from industries and agricultural inputs, salinity and
siltation. Piped water also gets contaminated because pipes are laid very close
to sewerage lines or open drains and chemicals like chlorine, which is mixed to
kill bacteria, corrode the supply lines. 62% (UNDP) or 33% (Haq, 1997) of the
people have access to sanitation and only 55% to health services. (Haq 1997,
UNDP 1997). In the HDI it is reported that approximately 65% of Pakistan's
population has access to essential medicine. 45% of infant deaths have been
attributed to diarrhea and 60% to overall infectious waterborne diseases. 25-30%
of the diseases are gastro-intestinal in nature (WHO).
Infant Deaths
Rate
During first four weeks of life
57%
First six months
>two-thirds
Before first year
One in ten
Under five
137/1000
Message for the youth
This environmental movement is your movement and we can fight environment
degradation through a movement because of the young people of Pakistan. If we
want to make a better Pakistan for upcoming generation, youngsters, both
male/female, should take part actively and learn about the environmental issues
and try to tackle the problems. One of the best solutions to the environment is
to change our bad habits of wastage of water, electricity and dispersal of
garbage etc.