During the late 20th century, it was globally realized that careless attitudes of humans towards our environment is rapidly destroying the earth's environment. To promote healthy environment, to encourage respect for life on Earth, and raise awareness about different kinds of pollution, it was decided to celebrate the first Earth Day on 22 April 1970. Although it started in the United States, Earth Day has since blossomed into an international celebration of our planet, observed worldwide. The theme for 2017 is "Environmental & Climate Literacy."
Today is a time of the year to show unwavering support for earth protection. The day is an opportunity for all of us to work together for the safety of earth environment before it is too late.
Importance of the Earth Day: Over the centuries, human is utilizing mother earth resources mercilessly. Consequently, at present, natural environment is under threat. If we do not take immediate action now to overcome the damages, there might not be much of a world left for our future generation.
Garbage pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, rapid extinction of marine life due to dumping of industrial waste, global warming and deforestation, are some serious threats for earth environment.
Meanwhile, experts estimate rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now it is only 6% and that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. We are losing 137 plants, animal and insect species every single day. Earth Day is important. It educates us about what damage we have made and what are the threats earth is facing today.
Three main environmental issues of Pakistan:
1. Climate change: Earth temperature goes up and down from year to year. However, recent studies show a clear warming trend across the globe. The winter season shrinks and summer season become long and extreme in many parts of the world. These climate changes will severely affect the agriculture, industry, health, and economy sectors in several countries. The year 2016 was a drastic year in the history of the earth planet. This year was poised the hottest year in the 137-year official record, with global temperatures climbing even higher than record-breaking 2015, according to data released in November from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Pakistan was one of five nations that were badly affected by the climate change in 2014. According to a UK-based global risk-consulting firm, Verisk Maplecroft, three cities of Pakistan are considered at high risk from climate change that includes Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi.
For the last few years, Pakistan has been experiencing extreme weather conditions, including high temperatures, seasonal droughts, heavy rains, dust storms, devastating floods, unusual fogs, melting of glaciers, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslides, avalanches in the mountain areas and threatening inflows into Indus River System (IRS). The Pakistan Economic Survey has reported that during 2010-2012 floods more than 3,000 people were killed and resulted in heavy loss of crops. Hundreds of people lost their lives due to Karachi heat wave, Chitral floods, and drought in Thar in 2015. The National Institute of Oceanography has warned that there is danger that Karachi could drown in next 35-45 years due to climate change.
2. Pollution: Contamination of air, water, soil, and ecosystem is the second threat for living beings on earth. Emission of harmful gases, tiny dust particles, fumes, and smoke pollutes the air and cause severe respiratory diseases. The major sources of air pollution are burning fuel, garbage, factories, heavy vehicles, and stone crushing machines.
Air pollution is a common problem in urban areas of the country. Each year during the winter season heavy smog covers the atmosphere of Lahore. It obstructs visibility and contaminates the environment. Lahore is ranked as a 10th smog-hit city of the world. The word smog is derived from the combination of two words; smoke and fog. It is the type of fog, which has smoke or soot in it. Smog is a yellowish or blackish fog formed mainly by a mixture of pollutants in the atmosphere, which consists of fine particles and ground level ozone. Smog also refers to hazy air that makes breathing difficult.
Garbage pollution is a threat to our environment. It is caused by discarding household wastes such as newspapers, used bottles, magazines, cans, plastic shoppers and old computers and machines. Garbage is a breeding place of many deadly diseases. It can harbor rats and fleas that carry germs and bacteria.
Karachi is a metropolitan city, housing people from all parts of the country. Besides noise, and dust pollution, mounds of garbage and trash has become a major source of environmental pollution. The situation has become pathetic in many city towns. Many localities have informal garbage dumping sites along the roads and streets. The public, children, animals, everyone is affected by the filth that litters our streets and pollutes our surrounding.
Waste management is a necessity for populations around the world that includes regular transporting, sorting, and recycling waste in all its forms. Unfortunately, waste management practices in Karachi are neither uniform nor consistent. Mismanaged waste is harmful to our health and the health of our families. Residents and sanitary workers often burn piles of trash in the open, removing the garbage from the land but transferring it to the skies. Every time there is a waste burning activity, it puts pollutants like carbon dioxide, mercury, and acid into the atmosphere. These chemicals damage the environment and can cause many different respiratory diseases. Doctors warn that "Acids and other chemicals emitted by trash fires can cause severe bronchio-constriction in asthmatics and can increase the breathing difficulty of those with emphysema increasing heart risks." The short-term exposure to smoke can cause headaches, nausea, and rashes. Over time, it can increase the risk of developing heart disease.
3. Contaminated water: Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (eg lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). This form of environmental degradation occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds. Contaminated water is the leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases.
Water pollution is major environmental issue of Pakistan. More than 80% Pakistanis consume contaminated and unsafe water, 69% to 82% water samples collected from 2,807 villages in 24 districts across the country were found contaminated or unsafe for drinking.
It is reported that major contamination was due to bacteria (coliforms), toxic metals (mainly arsenic), turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate and fluoride pollution. Bacteriological contamination, detected in drinking water in most parts of the country, was as high as 69pc, arsenic 24pc in some parts of the country and turbidity 14pc.
While microbiological contamination remains one of the leading causes of cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, typhoid etc, arsenic can cause various types of diabetes, skin, kidney, heart, black foot diseases, hypertension, birth defects and multiple types of cancer. A clean environment is a basic fundamental right of every living creature. Let us take a few minutes to reflect on the current situation and consider some of the threats to Mother Earth on World Earth Day 2017.
(References: Ms Aymen Ijaz Assistant Research Officer at (IPRI), The PCRWR, a research and development organisation of the Ministry of Science and Technology)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017