The recent World Health Organization (WHO) studies conclude that an estimated seven million die from environmental health risks annually the world over. In other words, pollution causes at least 16 percent early deaths of all the deaths globally. Shockingly, nine out of ten people of the global population breathe polluted air every day, according to the report. The First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held in Geneva in November 2018 had highlighted the economic impact of the pollution at $ 5.7 trillion or 4.4 percent loss of global GDP in 2016.
The recent World Health Organization (WHO) studies conclude that an estimated seven million die from environmental health risks annually the world over. In other words, pollution causes at least 16 percent early deaths of all the deaths globally. Shockingly, nine out of ten people of the global population breathe polluted air every day, according to the report. The First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held in Geneva in November 2018 had highlighted the economic impact of the pollution at $ 5.7 trillion or 4.4 percent loss of global GDP in 2016.
The worsening pollution in Pakistan had caused in 2015 at least 135,000 premature deaths among adults and around five million cases of illness, according to another study on global air pollution. The World Bank estimates that Pakistan’s annual burden to disease due to outdoor air pollution accounts for about 22,000 premature adult deaths each year, and indoor (household) pollution accounts for 40 million cases of acute respiratory infections resulting in another 28,000 deaths annually. These are highly alarming figures.
According to the experts, national economy suffers Rs365 billion every year on this account, adversely affecting the GDP growth. The World Bank estimates that 3 percent to 5 percent GDP of Pakistan is lost on this account. The 2018 global Environment Performance Index (EPI) has ranked Pakistan at 169 among 180 countries on 24 performance indicators. Thus, Pakistan was among 12 worst countries in environmental pollution. In recent years, environmental pollution has increased to disproportionate levels. Shockingly, now Peshawar and Rawalpindi are also among the 25 most polluted cities in the world, besides Karachi.
Though legal and regulatory framework for environmental control exists since long, the weak enforcement and ineffective management, compounded with high population growth and rapid urbanization, has not delivered results, in spite of generous economic and technical assistance from the international donor agencies such as WHO, World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the UN Environment in past years. Consequently, pollution and environmental degradation continues to accelerate unabated with every passing day.
Reports about polluted air, contaminated water and on-going deforestation in major cities paint a gloomy picture and expose laxity on the part of the institutions, lack of political commitment and insensitivity of the society to the issues. Every year, on June 5, the World Environmental Day is observed in Pakistan too, but without taking any concrete steps to effectively control and regulate the environmental deterioration. In fact, the environmental improvement has never been on priority agenda of any of the successive governments.
The share of expenditure on environmental improvement is nominal 0.12 percent of total Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) as reflected in 2018-19 allocation for the Ministry of Climate Change, which is Rs803 million, and mostly for the on-going projects. Out of this, a paltry sum of Rs36 million is allocated for the new schemes that also remain unapproved so far. The nation therefore faces serious environmental challenges, at present and in coming years, particularly in the backdrop of the government’s renewed focus on developing industrial, housing, transport, energy and infrastructure sectors, especially on implementation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) mega projects.
One of the main contributors of air pollution, which is currently the world’s fourth leading fatal health risk, is the industrial emission. There are numerous industrial pollutants and effluents, which contaminate air, water and land. All factories and mills generate some form of pollution. Other sources are hazardous and non-hazardous wastes including chemicals waste, use of fertilizers, water & wastewater treatment, through mining & construction activities etc., and the pollution caused by energy production, particularly through the operations of coal-fired power plants. Industrial pollution causes serious impacts on human well-being, such as lung cancer, stroke, heart diseases, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.
Most harmful to humans and the environment are heavy metals produced such as emissions of copper, lead and mercury. The industries, like textile, leather, paper, metal, rubber, fertilizer, paint, cement, marble, plastic and ceramics, and oil & gas exploration & production generate significant environmental hazards. Textile industry uses a variety of chemicals for various processes such as spinning, weaving, knitting, scouring, printing, dyeing, and finishing, which generate dust and emissions of toxic chemicals. Engineering and steel-making industries involve various processes that generate dust, smoke, gases etc.
Steel-making requires high use of energy, whereas production and use of energy emits sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide. In engineering industry, the heat treatment, galvanizing and zinc-plating are the processes of using hazardous chemicals, and generates, besides dust and gases, the dangerous substances like ammonium, zinc chloride, hydrochloric acid, cadmium etc. and volatile organic compound from oil. Exposure to cement dust, asphalt, bitumen, paint and mineral oil are caused due to construction activities and production of cement.
An international Conference on Industrial Pollution and Pollution Control was held in Singapore during January 10-11, 2019 that deliberated upon advanced technologies, most recent innovations, and solutions adopted for mitigating industrial pollution. Will it be too much to expect from the Ministry of Climate Change to realize that economic growth of a country is conversely proportional to the environmental degradation, and to learn from the proceedings of the Conference in the context of adopting relevant technologies to control and regulate industrial pollution in Pakistan?
It is indeed critical to address pollution, whether air pollution, lead exposure, noise pollution or inadequate sanitation and hygiene, and time is of the essence.
The writer is former chairman of the State Engineering Corporation
