June 06, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1427

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ISLAMABAD: June 5: Environmentalists on Monday expressed serious concern over environmental degradation and urged the government to implement environmental laws and policies in letter and spirit.

Speaking at a seminar on “State of environment in Pakistan” organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) to mark the World Environment Day, they called for collective efforts to save the country’s precious resources, forests, mountains, rivers and other water sources for future generations.

Dr. Mahmood A. Khwaja, Research Fellow, Environment Programme, SDPI said that the country was blessed with valuable resources in many ways but an inadequate collective response to the increasing environment related issues was primarily responsible for this emerging situation.

Referring to the situation of hazardous substances and wastes in the country, he said that there were 23 million tons of different chemicals imported every year while an average Pakistani hospital was producing 2500-3000 kg waste per day. Increasing industry emission was another potential threat to environment in the country.

He called upon the government to immediately ratify the Stockholm convention 2001. Suggesting some of the present and future actions such as formulation of sectoral formulations, inspection and monitoring of toxic activities, assistance to industry for the safety and waste management plans, augmentation of waste disposal facilities and effective pollution control, regulation and monitoring according to the NEQs, he urged the need for collective efforts to deal with this challenging situation.

Dr Karin Astrid Siegmann, Research Fellow, Gender and Globalization Programme, SDPI in her presentation, discussed the gender dimensions vis-a-vis state of environment in Pakistan. She particularly highlighted the role of women involved in natural resource management (NRM) who had to face all the direct or indirect impacts of environment as well as natural resource related changes taking place in the country.

To explain her point, she presented two case studies of women as water managers and cotton pickers for export. She urged that gender mainstreaming in natural resource management (NRM) must be ensured by education policy makers on gender roles in NRM, inclusion of women in decision-making, assessing gender impacts of degradation on time-use, income, nutrition and health.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Arshad H. Abbasi, Advisor on Water and Conservation, SDPI lamented that water reservoirs in Pakistan were drying up, temperatures were soaring which was primarily direct result of gradual increase in deforestation in the Murree, Patriata and Galyat areas.

He questioned the performance of the government departments concerned and agencies over increasing deforestation, degradation of environment and water scarcity in the country.