Filthy nation

Published November 29, 2015

THE disastrous state of affairs that prevails in many sectors in Pakistan is frequently commented on.

The one that citizens and administrations both seem to have become inured to, however, is also the most easily discernible: the abysmal state of the civic apparatus in most cities and towns, the filth that lines our roads, and the rapidly falling standards of the ecology and environment.

The problems have become so big, and so entrenched, that the highest court of the land is diverting its attention to them.

Taking up a case relating to pollution and environmental degradation in Islamabad on Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court rhetorically asked whether it should have to intervene all the time to keep Karachi clean.

Justice Ejaz Afzal remarked that it was difficult to imagine how people were living in some of the smaller towns and cities, adding that there were armies of employees in the departments concerned, who were drawing salaries but sitting idle.

The judges’ comments, acerbic in the extreme, showed the level of their frustration; and, indeed, this must be shared by the vast majority of people who must breathe air that is toxic, drink water that is contaminated and undertake commutes surrounded by piles of burning garbage — all because, as the Supreme Court noted with reference to the polluting industries in our cities, “until it suits them the government turns a blind eye towards the big fish”.

Pakistan must urgently rationalise and strategise in this regard. The answers are simple to formulate; what is needed is strong political will and action on the part of the civic agencies.

Why is Islamabad, for example, a notable exception in terms of the quality of the environment and the relative success in enforcing land-use rules?

The grim truth is that those who are in positions to initiate effective clean-up drives and formulate strong policies are the ones who never walk the city streets. Here too, it is the disconnect between the public and their elected representatives that is at fault.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2015

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