Increased industrial activity, rapidly growing population, urbanisation and indiscriminate use of limited natural resources degrading environment of country have exposed masses to numerous fatal diseases.
A number of hazards such as municipal and industrial effluent disposal, solid waste management, hospital and hazardous waste disposal and noise pollution have been posing threats to environment.
According to statistics, Pakistan generates 47,920 tonnes of solid waste a day, of which almost 40 percent is formed in the urban areas.
This amounts to 17.5 million tonnes per area. Unfortunately, no waste disposal programme has been implemented properly and this leads to public exposure of toxic chemicals and pollutants that are harmful to health.
Annual loss from environmental damage to Pakistan economy has touched the figure of 1.8 billion dollar.
Damages in urban air pollution stand at 369 million dollar, municipal sold liquid waste 883 million dollar, soil loss 357million dollar, range land degradation 125 million dollar, deforestation 28 million dollar and destruction of mangrove forests is of 15.7 million dollar.
Statistics reveal that an estimated 1,800 people die every year due to air pollution in Pakistan, but not a single case has been brought into court under these laws since their enforcement.
Another big issue is the noise and traffic pollution in urban areas. Increasing traffic noise has surpassed to tolerable limit and has become a problem for community health.
Meanwhile, concentrations of metals and suspended particulate matter in the air have become dense than ever.
It is learnt that Pakistan had 0.85 million cars in 1982 and the figure was 2.6 million in 1994, now there are more than five million cars clogging the roads.
The National Conservation Strategy (NCS) said an average Pakistani motor vehicle emitted 20 times as much hydro-carbon, 25 times as much carbon monoxide and 3.6 times as much nitrous oxide in grams per kilometre as compared to an average vehicle in the United States.
Adulteration of motor fuels, use of two-stroke engines in rickshaw and driving old smoky vehicles are also part of the problem.
Cars are the major source of air pollution, as they emit carbon dioxide and other toxic substances including lead.
Around 6.4 million hospital admissions and 4,18,000 cases of minor sickness occur every year due to air pollution diseases.
The main reason for the deaths is the quality of air in towns and cities, which is getting worse because of haphazard industrialisation and a rapid increase in the number of vehicles.
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