In a shocking but rather unsurprising move, Karachi has been declared the world’s fourth largest polluted city. This shows sheer negligence of the government towards environmental reforms and the unhealthy atmosphere citizens have to endure.
The report reveals the air quality index has reached an unhealthy level of 193, which is several times higher than the WHO’s recommended value. The major polluters are transport and industrial emissions followed by burning of garbage, emissions from refrigerators, generators, flying of dust and cooking stoves.
To make the situation worse, all types of forests, including mangroves along the coastline, which help provide clean air have been wiped out to an alarming level due to encroachment, commercialization, and infrastructure development. Karachi has mangroves cover of over 50,000 hectares but they are under threat from illegal logging, seawater intrusion, untreated industrial waste, and deforestation.
Sindh has only eight percent forest cover, way lower than the recommended level under UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pakistan’s forest cover is now among the lowest in the world – about 5% of the land, compared with a global average of 31%, according to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
Pakistan is among the six countries facing the biggest impact from climate change. Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, from smog in cities to smoke in homes. This poses a major threat to health, causing heart diseases and cancer. In Karachi, transport is responsible for 70 percent of air pollution in the city.
The government claims to formulate environmental policies but they have not been implemented in true spirit. As a result, there is no control over pollution in cities like Karachi and citizens continue to suffer. There is also no control of emissions from smoke-emitting vehicles and polluting industries that continue to evade environmental laws.
There is a dire need to regulate transport and industrial systems responsible for air pollution. The public needs to improve green cover through tree plantations. The prime minister has been advocating reforestation to increase forest cover but its needs to be expedited in other parts of the country. The environment should be the top priority to undo the damage and provide a healthy lifestyle.
