Pollution:

Pollution is a major environmental problem in the most developing as well as developed countries. The increasing pollution has become a big catastrophe in the whole world. The rate of pollution in Pakistan has been raised to such an intense level that the three top most cities of Pakistan  is included in the world’s most polluted places. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Karachi whose population is more than 20 million, is the world’s fifth dirtiest city, the city of Peshawar rank sixth in the world’s most dirtiest cities and Rawalpindi rank seventh in the world’s most dirtiest cities. The reason behind the increasing rate of pollution in these cities is the smoke emitting vehicles and factories. Last year, more than 110 people died in Pakistan due to adverse effects of pollution.  In Pakistan there are three major sources of pollution.

The most common source of air pollution is mainly vehicles whose exhaust fumes pollute the air.  More fuel is burnt as most roads of Pakistan has been broken and there are a lot of traffic jams which increases the journey time. Many industries in big cities such as Karachi and Lahore give out harmful pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. The government and the authorities take little concern about these industries. As a result of this the sky of Lahore and Karachi are covered with thick smog .This may lead to many respiratory diseases and may also be harmful to the animals living in such places. Even in Islamabad, the cleanest city in Pakistan there is thick smog over the city which we could see from the Margalla hills and while traveling to Murree. Instead of using private cars we should use public transport more often and walk for short distances to play our part in reducing air pollution.

Water pollution has many sources the most severe is the city sewage and industrial waste discharged into rivers. Facilities to treat waste water are not adequate in any city in Pakistan. At present, only a very small portion of waste water is treated. The rest is discharged into our water bodies. Owing to this, pollutants enter groundwater, rivers and other water bodies. Such water, which ultimately ends up in our households, is often highly contaminated and carries disease-causing microbes. Agricultural runoff, or the water from the fields that drains into rivers, is another major water pollutant as it contains fertilizers and pesticides. To stop water pollution, the factory waste should be first filtered and then disposed properly into sea or river. If this is not done, then the government should take legal action against them. There must be a regular cleaning of all the canals and channels by the government workers. The government should pass strict environmental laws concerning oil spill.

As Pakistan is not a rich country, it doesn’t have enough money to spend on waste disposal systems. As a result most of the home waste and other kinds of wastage is usually thrown away on empty plots next to the houses and is then burned which may be harmful to the people living in the area. Only less than 5% of the waste is recycled and most of it is disposed directly on the ground. There are only a few garbage cans along the roads so people living far away have to dispose off their waste somewhere else. This attracts flies which then spread diseases. Hence an increase in land pollution may in turn slowly destroy our natural environment which is already at risk. Instead of throwing all our rubbish away we can give some of it for recycling such as old newspapers etc. we must also reuse polythene bags for other purposes such as for carrying things. There must be a landfill area where all the rubbish can be disposed off. There must also be incinerators where the remaining garbage can be burned. The government should place garbage cans and bins in many places so that people can throw their rubbish there.

Therefore, we should accept our personal responsibility for the success of our local environmental protection programs by actively participating in making our atmosphere pollution-free. Because

"If we heal the earth, we heal ourselves."

    

     BY: ( Aniqa moin )