ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: More than 40 per cent population of Pakistan suffers from general environmental stress (GES) due mainly to demographic growth and lack of appropriate housing structures and sanitary facilities , says a study based on the 1998 census.

Aimed to bring out the nexus between population, environment and poverty, the study by researchers Munir Ahmad, Akhlaq Ahmad and Dr Shahzad Afzal from Lahore defines a poor person as the one "who has a large family, does not possess a pucca house, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, clean water to drink and adequate shelter".

The indices produced by the census seem very close to international perception of poverty line, they note. The authors have calculated Pakistan's poverty line to be at 40 per cent - 51 per cent in rural and 13.5 per cent in urban areas.

They also developed a general environment stress index (GESI) for the purposes of their study. Based on the census data, they concluded that GESI for Pakistan was 40.03 per cent - 50.82 per cent in rural and 13.46 per cent in urban areas.

The values of 40 to 50 show a degradation of environment which means that we have to devote more attention and invest more money in removing the causes of environmental stresses.

Noting that the national conservation strategy report released in 1992 omitted as the contributory factors in environmental degradation the pollution generated by noise and sanitary conditions, it noted that despite improvements since then, nearly half of the population lacked toilet facilities, according to 1998 census.

About 40 per cent people in the country do not have a reasonable quality of life, the essential characteristics of which include electricity and gas as a source of light and cooking fuel, bathrooms and toilets.

The data show that only two rooms are available to an average family of 6.8 persons, 44 percent of people live in kutcha houses, 38 percent of households use kerosene as a source of light, 86 percent still use wood as cooking fuel whose ratio may be rising as a result of frequent increases in the cost of kerosene.

Moreover, 57 per cent housing units are without bathrooms and 69 per cent lack the facility of toilets. In some provinces, people are living in even worse conditions.

In addition to the existing standard definitions of environment, it says Pakistan needs to define environmental concerns based on census data and develop spatial, specific and general environmental indicators. It also calls for the modification of 1997 Act as well as the National Environmental Quality System to include housing and sanitation in it.

One aspect of the study needs to be accepted only with a pinch of salt as it characterises literacy rate as the most important single factor that has significant correlation with other social and demographic parameters.

It is true that the literacy rate is still only 43.92 per cent. But the assertion that not population growth but illiteracy degrades environment and that literacy reduces the environmental stress is rather problematic.

It is basically a problem of making people hygiene-conscious and overcome the cultural indifference and last but not the least, raising their incomes and helping them uplift themselves culturally and intellectually.

Majority of rural households have their kitchens under the open sky but no toilet or bathroom. This is linked with the availability of water in every housing unit.

There is no dearth of households with literate members who cannot afford to equip their homes with these amenities. Thus literacy is not a causal but only a correlative factor in a large proportion of households living in unhealthy environment.