Environment destruction costing us Rs 62b annually: experts

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: The national loss, due to the degradation of natural resources and the environment, is around Rs 62 billion annually, which is 6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, said Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) Director Naeem Ahmed Mughal at an “Air pollution and Global warming” workshop arranged by NED University of Engineering and Technology on Saturday, in collaboration with the University of Mississippi, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and USAID.

According to the experts, air, water and noise pollution account for 22,000 deaths each year. Mughal said that 70 per cent of air pollution in the urban areas of Sindh is due to the outdated buses and diesel vehicles on the roads. The increased load shedding has given a rise to the use of diesel power generators, which are adding to the noise pollution in the city. Mughal lamented the lack of official solid waste dumping sites in the province, stating that Karachi alone produces 10,000 tons of industrial solid waste and in the absence dumping sites, the waste is disposed off near residential areas or set on fire, causing different diseases.

“According to a recent study, around 400 million gallons a day of highly contaminated industrial waste, including the liquid waste of tanneries, comprising dangerous elements such as chromium, is being poured into the Arabian Sea from the Malir River. Besides that millions of gallons of toxic industrial waste is being poured into the sea from the Lyari river and other rivers and nullahs in the city, with a further 14 drains disposing domestic waste into sea,” said Mughal.

He informed that the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has machinery with a capacity to treat 157 million gallons a day of sewerage water but it is has been out of operation for several years. Dr Waheeduddin, a faculty member of University of Mississippi said that rapid population growth, coupled with the rise in vehicles and industrial units, has increased air pollution in the city. “If cement factory owners agree to install filters, they can obtain material that is used in fertilizer factories and in road building, while ensuring lower levels of emission. The income generated is much greater than the installation charges but factory owners are still reluctant,” said Dr Waheeduddin.

Society for the Protection of the Rights of Children (SPARCO) Director Dr Badar Ghauri also agreed that rapid urbanization and industrialization is the major cause of air pollution in urban areas. He said that a 24-year long study (1984 to 2008) conducted by SPARCO reveals that the most dangerous components of air have increased by several percent in Karachi, Lahore and Quetta, with industrial units, brick kilns, wood burning in slums and vehicles being the major causes behind the increase.

“The rising levels of air pollution are causing 42 percent of the allergies and respiratory diseases in the city, while noise pollution accounts for 72 percent of the cardiovascular diseases,” said Ghauri.

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