KARACHI, June 4: The city on June 2 witnessed one of its worst traffic jams as a result of a long protest rally, dominated by vehicle drivers who are against the proposition of phasing out auto-rickshaws and old buses from the metropolis.
Karachiites, who are considerably more prone to different environmental hazards, believe that the elimination of rickshaws and other smoke-emitting vehicles will help contain air and noise pollution in the city.
However, participants of the June 2 rally, which was organized by the Loya Jirga (Pakhtoon Action Committee), demanded that transporters should be taken into confidence with regard to any action against their vehicles.
It may be mentioned that the demand or resentment over the government’s intention to impose ban on old public transports and two-stroke rickshaws is nothing new.
During the years, there had been campaigns for a better air quality in the city, which, however, were not successful, as the transporters feared there were measures in store to deprive them of their livelihood and push them out of the city.
“The policy makers can partially be blamed for the situation, as they have been unable to come up with viable alternatives. They have not even taken action against all sorts of polluters,” said a senior citizen.
It was in 2003 when different provincial departments, under the directives of the Supreme Court, realized that auto-rickshaws, smoke-emitting and diesel-operated vehicles, etc, were major sources of pollution.
In the later course of time, citizens saw introduction of metro-buses, A/C coaches, CNG-operated big buses and cabs in urban areas as a breakthrough in the government's efforts. But all measures were short-lived.
Rickshaw owners and drivers had also expressed willingness to switch over to four-stroke vehicles if they were provided financial assistance from the government, donors agencies or the NGOs working for a pollution-free environment.
While there are examples of phasing out of the two-stroke rickshaws in India and Bangladesh, things have, however, not become made possible in our part of the world so far, said a conservationist.
Estimating that about 1.4 million commercial and private vehicles are plying in urban areas of the province, experts say that air pollution from vehicular emission can be contained at different levels by; enacting of a law and its effective implementation; installation of pollution control devices for switching over to cleaner fuel;, and modification in design for phasing out obsolete technology.
It has been learnt that there are about 58,000 auto-rickshaws, buses and minibuses, taxies, trucks and delivery vans and pickups in Karachi, majority of which are faulty and unchecked.
The air quality in the city is much below the international standard and it is feared that if the situation remained unchanged, cases of acid rains and increase in mental retardation among children can hardly be averted, commented an environmental activist.
He lamented that the metropolis had no vehicle emission testing station, for proper engine tune up and calibration, at convenient locations.
Air pollution monitoring and regulation is a must and we should have standards for some of the most toxic and commonly found air pollutants, as our residential areas and public thoroughfares in or near the industrial areas, effluent discharge channels, smouldering
garbage dumps and toxic waste facilities are in alarming conditions, suggested a scientist at the University of Karachi.
While celebrating the World Environment Day on June 5, which was established by the United Nations in 1972, groups of citizens, experts and conservationists in the city will once again maintain that environmental degradation and pollution issues are close to their hearts. But it is a fact that environmental concerns have not caught the attention of the youth.
The day provides citizens, government and non-governmental organizations as well as politicians and planners, to at least think about pollution, ecological destruction, environmental degradation and scarcity of resources.
Various organizations have planned events in connection with the day, including seminars, walks and street theatres for creating awareness on environmental issues.
They will also highlight the role of citizens and governmental and non-governmental organizations in addressing the factors, which pose potential threats to the environment of Karachi, where 10 per cent of the country's population resides.
In addition to emissions from transport, there issues of solid waste management, disposal of medical and hospital waste, disposal of effluents, disposal of industrial and domestic effluents in the sea, power plants and diesel generators, hoarding and billboards, noise and air pollution, water contamination, discharge of gases and chemicals from industries, tree-felling, elimination of mangroves along coasts, and unmitigated rural-urban migration that need to be focussed on priority bases.
Karachi needs integrated policies and broad inter-sectoral approach for sustainable environmental development and implementations, otherwise the environment will continue to be damaged in life-threatening ways, remarked an expert in urban activities.
The theme of the environment day for this year is "Don't Desert Drylands", which emphasizes on improving the environment and greening of dry lands.
Pakistan, with most of its land area classified as arid or semi arid is
extremely vulnerable to the growing threat of desertification through drought and soil degradation.
It has one of the lowest percentages of area under forests, and with little decrease in the trend of deforestation - one of the major causes of desertification - the situation demands extraordinary measures on emergency basis, says an IUCN-Pakistan expert.
According to reports of international organizations and resource institutes, forests today cover 27 per cent of the world’s land, as compared to 50 per cent 10,000 years ago.
Deforestation worldwide continues at a rate of 9.4 million hectares a year, posing serious threats to human communities and natural ecosystem.
While talking about environmental degradation, it may be noted that deforestation, water scarcity, soil degradation and exposure to agricultural and industrial chemicals and organic pollutants affect women and men in varying ways.
According to a UN report on human development, the amount of time individuals spent on household duties may dramatically increase with the depletion of resources.
