‘Pollution causing 50,000 deaths, Rs356bn loss a year’
By Amjad Mahmood
LAHORE, Sept 3: Environmental pollution causes deaths of over 50,000 people, most of them poor, and costs the country at least six per cent of its GDP (around Rs356 billion), says a World Bank report released here on Monday.
Titled “Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment”, the report presents an alarming picture of the quality of air in major cities. It says that concentration of particulate matter in the federal and the four provincial capitals and other cities far exceeds safe levels, killing 22,700 people while indoor pollution in rural areas causes 28,000 deaths each year, most of them children and women.
In cities, major sources of pollution have been identified as two-stroke rickshaws and diesel-run vehicles and consumption of furnace oil with higher levels of sulphur.
The report identifies illness and premature mortality caused by air pollution (both indoor and outdoor) as 50 per cent of the total damage cost.
Diarrhoeal diseases and typhoid due to inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene claim 30 per cent and reduced farm productivity because of soil degradation is 20 per cent of the total cost.
The report says that waterborne diseases cost Rs114 billion. Municipal sewage, industrial effluents and farm runoff are the major sources of pollution.
It regrets that the system for identifying projects that need environmental impact assessment (EIA) is very weak and in 2004 a total of 87 initial environmental examinations (IEEs) and EIAs were received by all five environment protection agencies in the country.
Lack of monitoring and enforcement of EIA conditions is another weak area of the system, the report notes.
It calls for improving institutional framework to clearly define federal, provincial and local governments’ responsibilities in checking environmental degradation.
It also highlights the need for involving judiciary, civil society and media for accountability of the polluters, besides the law-enforcement agencies.
World Bank official Paul Martin and Javaid Afzal discussed various aspects of the report at a ceremony arranged for the release of the report.
Hammad Naqi from the WWF pointed out that the report had missed proper baselines and value of forests and water in the local perspective. He expressed the hope that findings of the report would be incorporated in the local development projects being funded by the World Bank.
Chief meteorologist Shaukat Awan suggested developing some model environmental-friendly cities.
Punjab environment minister Dr Anjum Amjad explained various measures the provincial government was taking to improve the environment.
