June 05, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, June 4: Environmental degradation in Pakistan is costing the national economy around $2.2 billion annually, while the remedial measures to restore the neglected environment would require an investment of over $1.76 billion, according to the draft “State of the environment report 2005” prepared by the ministry of environment.

The remedial cost measured in terms of GDP for water is 53.97 per cent; air pollution: 119.4 per cent; land erosion: 522.59 per cent; solid waste management: 187.21 per cent; forest degradation: 157.40 per cent, and ecosystems management: 36.09 per cent, says the report, prepared for the first time in the history of the country.

Environmental degradation is caused not only by large development projects, which are subject to government control, but by the combined effects of countless small rural and urban consumer and producer activities that use natural and man-made resources.

The conservation agenda has made considerable headway in linking up with economic prosperity, poverty alleviation and environmental conservation.

The recently launched Medium-term Development Framework (MTDF) 2005-2010 also lends itself to addressing sustainable environment development as a vehicle for economic growth. Keeping in view the requirements for planning and implementing environmental development programmes, the MTDF has identified targets for five years - 2005-2010. A total of 111 programmes and projects have been recommended by the environment working group of which 61 are in the brown sector, 30 in green sector, three cross-sector, and 17 in the areas of human resource development and environmental awareness, education and research.

An allocation of Rs642.006 million was made for environment sector projects during the fiscal year 2003-04 and an expenditure of Rs192.43 million was incurred up till March 2004.

The targets identified in the MTDF hence require a sizable level of investment through enhancing the public sector development allocations. In addition, providing necessary incentives to the private sector for investing in environmental projects is also essential. Overall, the financial outlay of the MTDF has been substantially increased from the last five year’s total Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) allocation of Rs4.5 billion (both federal and provinces) to Rs21.7 billion over the next five years.

Pakistan’s national conservation strategy envisaged an investment of Rs150 billion over the ten years period. The medium terms review of the NCS revealed that the actual investment of Rs77 billion was realised in 14 core areas over nine years period. The core areas were maintaining of soil in croplands, increasing irrigation efficiency, protecting watersheds, supporting forestry and plantation, restoring rangelands and improving livestock, protecting water bodies and sustaining fisheries, conserving biodiversity, increasing energy efficiency, developing and deploying renewables, preventing and abating pollution, managing urban waster, supporting institutions for common resources, integrating population and environment programmes and preserving cultural heritage.

A major shift in environmental protection, conservation and sound management has been the process of institutionalising environment impact assessment (EIA). Although significant results have been achieved in promoting an EIA-conscious process of development, much still needs to be done. The question of adequate capacities within public as well as private sectors remains a critical area of concern. Similarly, there is a general hesitation for facilitating public consultation although recognised as an important aspect of EIAs.

Despite an overall increase in environmentally aware stakeholders, Pakistan is faced with numerous challenges that have gained recognition in the last two decades. There are sectoral gaps - capacity and knowledge - that limit the rate of success of initiatives for pollution control and environmental protection and management. Amongst these, the issues of water quality and availability and air quality stand out as the key environmental issues of concern.