The World Bank writes in a report titled
"Pakistan Development Updates" released in November 2016 that Karachites
are facing "limited access to sewage
and solid waste management. Upto 475 million gallons of raw sewage are discharged
into the sea each day, including hazardous material and untreated industrial
effluent." It further says "Less than half of estimated solid waste
is collected and transported to open dumpsites."
Environmental
issues and pollution have always been national concerns and that revelation
from World Bank was also not any secret, however if it is mirrored with the
perils of climate change, this marine degradation pose now a inevitable threat
to the coastal biodiversity of the city.
Being the economic hub of Pakistan, Karachi has an unmatchable
and massive importance to the Arabian sea. The mega city has a 70 km coast
line, which is vital not only in maintaining the essential ecosystem in
balanced and functional, but these coasts also provide space to live and
directly and indirectly create wealth, including millions of jobs in industries
such as fishing, aquaculture and tourism. But due to the vulnerable climate
change, massive industrialisation and unchecked urbanisation, the environmental
quality of associated coastal areas and marine ecosystem is being degraded continuously
and speedily. The aquatic pollution arising from combination of domestic and
industrial waste like plastic trash, oil spills, sewage, toxicants and etc has
put us on the international radar for contributing to the destruction of the
marine ecosystem and if this pollution isn't controlled it will result in
tremendous loss for us in civics, ecological and economic means.
The key areas that are affecting and contributing to
marine ecosystem are identified as;
Domestic Waste and Plastic
Pollution
The Karachi Water and
Sewage Board maintains that approximately 472 million gallons of sewage is
generated on daily basis in Karachi, which is dumped into the sea via different
drains flowing in the city. Unfortunately, there are only three sewage
treatment plants in the city located at Karachi SITE, Mehmoodabad and Mauripur.
These three plants have a combined capacity of 151 mgd to treat sewage but all are
not operational these days, therefore all the untreated sewage goes to the sea
and pollutes the marine life. A Judicial Commission investigating these days
environmental degradation, non-provision of clean drinking water and sanitation
facilities in Sindh has ordered the KWSB to make all three plants operational
within 45 to 90 days.
Apart from sewage and
industrial effluent, 12,000 tons of municipal solid waste is generated from the
city daily. But due to the proper waste management system in the city and
negligence on behalf of concerned civic bodies, most of the solid waste --
particularly from areas adjacent to the coastal line -- is dumped into the sea.
Then Plastic pollution
is another concern. Uncontrolled dumping of plastic products in the terrestrial
and marine environment has become a serious threat to the animals and plant
inhabiting in the coastal and offshore waters of Pakistan. Plastic garbage from
District Municipalities like South and Korangi, Cantonments like Clifton,
Mauripur and Korangi and various District Councils situated along the coastline
makes it way to the Arabian sea. The WWF-Pakistan estimates 14 billion pounds
of trash, much of it plastic is dumped in the world' oceans every year. Fishermen
also annually contribute in this pollution by dumping an estimated 150,000 tons
of plastic into oceans, including packaging, plastic nets, lines and buoys,
Plastic bags, bottles, toys, packaging material, if
not disposed off correctly, can reach the sea and then ocean. Plastic waste
decomposes very slowly that's why remain either floating in the open sea or
piled up on the beaches. It is also estimated that about 8,000 tons of plastic
waste is unaccounted for in Karachi, which is mostly ended up in the sea along
the city. Marine wildlife consumes this micro plastic and thus the plastic becomes
a part of food chain. Concentrated plastic material and specially polythene
bags have been found blocking the breathing passages and stomach of many edible
marine species.
Most of these plastic materials degrade in fragments
very slowly taking in most cases even centuries. Scientists couple of years ago announced the
existence of a garbage patch in the India ocean, which proved to be the third
biggest collection of plastic garbage of the world.
The situation demands strictly execution of
anti-dumping laws at local level. The controlling of disposal of solid waste,
specially plastics and polythene bags, can be better managed if municipalities
create new but proper dump sites and improve already existed garbage collection
and transportation mechanism. While the civil society also come up to undertake
regular cleaning operations of the beaches to remove accumulated plastic.
(To be continued)
By
Editorial, Infocus
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