Industrial and domestic effluent dumping at the sea has reached to 350 million gallons per day (MGPD) in Karachi, posing great threats and danger for marine habitats, Naveed Ali Soomro, Co-co-ordinator of World Wide Fund (WWF)-Pakistan Wetland Center, said here on Saturday.
Talking to Business Recorder, during a day's exposure trip to Eco-Internship Programme at WWF Wetland Center organised by WWF-Pakistan and Karachi Youth Initiative, he said: "Regularly, 350 million gallons of effluent disposal has been reported from Karachi which can bring disaster for both, marine and land inhabitant." He expressed the fear that due to polluted sea and coastline it would severely affect fishes and people would force to buy contaminated fish. Around 300 individuals from schools in Hijrat Colony and Sultanabad have attended and take part in Eco-Internship Programme and they have planted approximately, 400 mangrove plants.
Asad Shahbaz Khan, Corporate Relations Officer at WWF-Pakistan, said: "The main objective of this educational field trip is to engage youth in hands on healthy environment awareness, team building activities and to inculcate sense of civic responsibility in the participants."
He said that activities included informative session on endangered green turtle, cleaning of green turtle habitat - the beach, mangroves - soldier of the coast, mangroves plantation and other eco-friendly activities. During the session with students, Naveed Ali said: "Despite of 25 percent of forest in Pakistan, deforestation takes place countrywide creating alarming situation about deforestation, flooding and endangering wildlife. As far as mangroves are concerned, they are greatly important in numerous ways, and their depletion is causing a variety of problems, not only to the environment but also to the country, at large scale."
He added: "Devastating impact of deforestation of mangroves can destroy natural habitat as mangroves are the nesting ground for many marine lives, including small fish, crabs, shrimps and crabs." Mangroves are the natural stabilisers of beach as it reduce sea intrusion and a great source of timber, fuel, railroad ties and tannin. It acts as a natural barrier and protects coastal communities and cities from cyclone and tsunamis. It helps in scaling down intensity of storms. Reduction of mangroves from Pakistan is become real menace, he added.
Rana Beenish, Principal of Dar-ul-Banat Fellowship School, said that engaging students in these types of activities inculcates a sense of responsibility to contribute towards environmental conservation. This event has provided them an opportunity to learn about environmental challenges confronting our country. It is need of the hour to promote environmental education and initiate awareness campaign in government schools, she added.
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