Environmental issues A Presentation ByMr. Allah dad KhanVisiting Professor the University of Agriculture Peshawar allahdad52@gmail.com

2. Environmental Issues
A Presentation By
Mr. Allah dad Khan
Visiting Professor the University of
Agriculture Peshawar
allahdad52@gmail.com

4. The general meaning of environment is ‘the surroundings
about us’. There are three components of environment:
(i) Physical (abiotic) Component-Land, water, air and the
related semi-components are included in it.
(ii) Biotic Component-Plants and animals are included in it.
Man is an important part of it.
(iii) Energy Component-The sun is the main source of energy
on the earth. So, it is also a part of our environment. Besides
it, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wind energy etc. are also
included in it.
Environment

5. Environmental
Issues in
Pakistan

7. 1.POVERTY
 According to an analysis which
shows that the poverty has
increased roughly from 30% to
40% during the past decade.
 Consider that if 40%of a
country’s population is earning
their lives below the poverty-line
in which the people are deprived
of basic necessities of life such
as clothing, shelter, food,
education and medication, such
families and their children will be
forced to think of their survival
only.

8. 2.Acid Rain:
 Acid rain occurs due to the
presence of certain pollutants
in the atmosphere. Acid rain
can be caused due to
combustion of fossil fuels or
erupting volcanoes or rotting
vegetation which release sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides
into the atmosphere. Acid rain
is a known environmental
problem that can have serious
effect on human health,
wildlife and aquatic

9. 3.Agriculture Pesticides
 Indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilisers
ensure that agricultural run-off from fields also
contributes to water pollution. Extensive use of
agricultural chemicals has already started
affecting aquifers. World Health Organisation
(WHO) study revealed that two million people
suffered from pesticide poisoning and 40,000
die per year. Most of these were from
developing countries, which have been urged to
buy pesticides from corporations from the
developed world. The pesticides are
carcinogenic and mutagenic causing sterility,
low fertility, skin cancer, immune and hormonal
system disorder. In Pakistan, pesticide residues
have been found in water, soil and even food
commodities. The situation is worse here
because many of these are either sold under
generic names or are fake and adulterated

10. 4.Carbon monoxide emissions in
Megacities
 – Carbon monoxide emission
levels in Karachi and Lahore
have considerably exceeded
WHO’s recommended levels. It
however happens only during
crowded hours not 24 hours a
day. We should be concerned
about it and a Clean Air
Program must be initiated to
ensure safe level carbon
monoxide emissions especially
in megacities

11. 5.Climate Change:
 Climate change is yet another
environmental problem that has
surfaced in last couple of decades. It
occurs due to rise in global warming
which occurs due to increase in
temperature of atmosphere by
burning of fossil fuels and release of
harmful gases by industries. Climate
change has various harmful effects
but not limited to melting of polar
ice, change in seasons, occurrence of
new diseases, frequent occurrence
of floods and change in overall
weather scenario.

12. 6.Deforestation:
 Our forests are natural sinks of
carbon dioxide and produce fresh
oxygen as well as helps in regulating
temperature and rainfall. At present
forests cover 30% of the land but
every year tree cover is lost
amounting to the country of Panama
due to growing population demand
for more food, shelter and cloth.
Deforestation simply means clearing
of green cover and make that land
available for residential, industrial or
commercial purpose

13. 7.Demand for Environmental
Managers
There is a lot of demand for
environmental managers especially
from the lenders i.e. World Bank and
ADB. All these multilateral banks want
to lend to Pakistan as well as want to
ensure that the projects are also
environmentally capable but we have
very little proper professional capacity.
NGOs have very good work and
capacity with regards to advocacy and
raising awareness but they are not
qualified researchers as such. We need
to opt for environmental studies in our
universities

14. 8.Exploiting IT technology for Environment
Protection
 – Government is hardly using IT
technology in this regard. There must be
software programs developed for
registering industrial data on
environment. This program should be
linked to every industry with the Internet
and it may be given access to a
centralized database in Islamabad. Other
than that, the government can also be
advised that all the ministries should start
adopting similar IT programs and train
their staff for e-governance. In this way,
the IT technology can be exploited
productively.


15. 9.Fuelwood
 According to the two studies,
consumption for household
firewood exceeds production
in all provinces except the
Northern Areas, which are
sparsely populated. Due to the
increase in population,
consumption would probably
go up to 3% per year. Pakistan's
woody biomass may be totally
consumed within the next 10-15
years

16. 10.Livestock grazing
 Unrestricted livestock grazing
is also a severe threat. Trees
have always been chopped
down to allow grass to grow,
in order to feed livestock. In
some cases forests are set on
fire for this purpose also and
the rate has gone beyond
sustainability in many areas. In
addition forests are also
cleared for agriculture.

17. 11.Degradation of the urban environment
 Urban growth is estimated to be 4.6% per annum. This is
mainly a consequence of the high rate of rural-urban
migration that contributes to the rapid decay of urban
environment. Estimates indicate that 6 million (16%)
people are unemployed and this is expected to increase
by 500,000 annually. The increase in population,
unemployment, and pressure on agricultural lands
means migration to urban areas.
 The migrants usually are poor and are forced to live in
urban slums. Out of the total population 45% of the
people in Sindh and 50% in Punjab live in one-room
houses. They often are not linked to water supplies and
sanitation. The reason is their lack of financial resources
and the administration does not provide these because
that might give them legal status. They also do not invest
in their residences as they either do not have the money
or are afraid of being evicted.
 When the utility services are not available, unhealthy
practices are adopted. Waste is dumped out in the open
and becomes a source of water contamination.

18. 12.Waterlogging and Salinity

 These problems usually occur together and are a result of intensive and
continuous use of surface irrigation. Some experts consider them more
important than soil erosion because they occur in the most productive areas
of the Indus Basin. More than 2 million hectares of land is waterlogged (JRC
1989d), and the inefficient historical planning of the irrigation system is the
culprit. It is 100 years old with unlined canals, resulting in the seepage of
water into the topsoil,. Salinity usually follows. When the water evaporates
the salts are left behind and the area becomes unfit for agriculture. In over
25% of the Indus basin the water table has risen to 2 m of the soil surface,
resulting inn 40,000 hectares of land being lost annually to both these
problems. In some areas it has gone up to I m. Over 5.7 million hectares of
land are salt affected and 2.4 million hectares is highly saline according to the
Soil Survey of Pakistan. The soil of 13.6 million hectares within the Gross
Command Area was surveyed, which revealed that 3.1 million hectares (23%)
was saline. 23% of this was in Sindh and 13% in the Punjab.
 Waterlogging and salinity pose serious threats to the primarily agricultural
economy and may also affect the remaining forests in the basin. In any case,
the increase in this problem could mean the clearing up of the adjacent
forests to make room for more agricultural land.
 Because of the gravity of the situation, measures have been taken to rectify
this problem as a result of which a large area of land has been reclaimed
through the Salinity Control and Reclamation Programmes

19. 13.Soil Erosion
 Around 15.9 million hectares of land (18% of total) affected by
soil erosion. Out of this, 11,172,000 hectares affected by water
erosion, while 4760,000 hectares affected by wind erosion.
 Soil erosion is taking place at an alarming rate and is mainly
due to deforestation in the north. Water erosion is prominent
on steep slopes such as the Potohar track and surrounding
areas, an area extensively used for cultivation. Water erosion
and poor land management is also affecting watersheds in the
upper Indus River and its tributaries. The highest recorded rate
of erosion is in the Indus catchment between the Tarbela
reservoir and 90 - km upstream where soil loss is estimated to
be 150-165 tonnes/hectare/year. Overall, 28% of soil is being lost
to water. 14% of the storage capacity of Tarbela was lost within
10 years of being completed. The Indus River carried the fifth
largest load of sediment (4.49t/h) in the world in 1990.
According to some estimates the Indus is adding 500,000
tonnes of sediment to the Tarbela Reservoir every day,
reducing the life of the dam by 22% and the capacity of
reservoir by 16%.
 Wind erosion has a relatively lower impact than water erosion.
However, the combination of the two is more devastating. This
reduces the productivity of the land by 1.5-7.5% per year. This
affects almost one-fifth of the Punjab.

20. 14.Desertification
 Desertification is a process that turns productive land
into non-productive desert. It occurs mainly in semi-arid
areas (mean rainfall less than 600 mm) bordering on
deserts. The arid and semi-arid rangelands in Pakistan
show signs of being strained. The threat of overgrazing,
over-harvesting and overstocking of the natural
vegetation is aggravating the situation. The change in
grazing practices has virtually reduced some areas in the
Cholistan desert to sand dunes. According to one
estimate more than 60% of the natural grazing areas of
the country have production levels lower than one third
of their biological potential. More than one-third of the
country has been classified as under risk of
desertification (45 million hectares). Deforestation, over
cultivation, excessive cutting of fuelwood and incorrect
irrigation practices all have a share in this problem.

21. 15.Global Warming:
Climate changes like global
warming is the result of
human practices like emission
of Greenhouse gases. Global
warming leads to rising
temperatures of the oceans
and the earth’ surface causing
melting of polar ice caps, rise
in sea levels and also unnatural
patterns of precipitation such
as flash floods, excessive snow
or desertification.

22. 16.Greenhouse effect & Pakistan
 – The planet has been affected in current times with the
greenhouse gasses which is detrimental to maintaining
life and sustainable environment on earth. Pakistan is a
very small contributor in greenhouse effect; Pakistan
contributes only 0.2 % greenhouse gases of the whole
world.
 Pakistan is very much aware about it and has taken lead
on this issue at the international level. Pakistan is party
to the “Kyoto Protocol”, The Kyoto Protocol is a
document signed by about 180 countries at Kyoto,
Japan, in December 1997. The protocol commits 38
industrialized countries to cut their emissions of
greenhouse gases between 2008 to 2012 to levels that
are 5.2 per cent below 1990 levels. Pakistan needs to
develop a strategy and attract investment to come to
Pakistan on this issue. The industries in Pakistan should
also be involved; if one actually invests in projects and
get carbon credit that is going to be credited on
commodity exchange. It is the first environmental
commodity of the world and the predictions of the
World Bank are that this market is going to be
somewhere in the range of 5 to 10 billion dollars a year
on exchange on this carbon emission.

23. 17.Timber
 Another adverse factor is the lopping of trees for
commercial purposes. Pakistan has a thriving timber
market and many a time; illegal logging takes place to
support the market and to make a fast buck. The high
price of timber has greatly accelerated forest depletion.
 The timber business goes back to colonial times. After
partition when the princely states such as Chitral, Dir,
and Swat were abolished, the change in rule created a
vacuum in the management of the forests. This
accelerated the depletion of the reserves. The state had
the legal ownership of the forests, however, it
disregarded the needs of the local people. While under
princely rule, the emphasis of forest management was
on supporting the local economy, now it shifted to being
a revenue-generating source for the government.
Investment in forest conservation was inconsequential
as compared to their harvest.

24. 18.Genetic Engineering:
 Genetic modification of food using
biotechnology is called genetic
engineering. Genetic modification of
food results in increased toxins and
diseases as genes from an allergic
plant can transfer to target plant.
Genetically modified crops can cause
serious environmental problems as
an engineered gene may prove toxic
to wildlife. Another drawback is that
increased use of toxins to make
insect resistant plant can cause
resultant organisms to become
resistant to antibiotics.

25. 19.Running of old vehicles on road
 – It is also one of the causes of air pollution as
these cars are not discarded and thus add their
share in increasing the pollution. The “Clean Air
Program” should also include old vehicle
retiring program. In developed countries the
older the car gets the more tax they have to
pay. This incentive urges them not to keep old
vehicles on road. In Pakistan, low income
groups keep old vehicles that have no accurate
standard of pollution controlling. We also need
to strengthen the motor vehicle testing
program in which private sector should be
invited to setup testing stations and it should be
made mandatory for cars to get fitness
certificate every year without which they should
not be allowed to come on roads.


26. 20.Pollution:
 Pollution of air, water and soil
require millions of years to recoup.
Industry and motor vehicle exhaust
are the number one pollutants.
Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic
are toxins responsible for pollution.
While water pollution is caused by
oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff; air
pollution is caused by various gases
and toxins released by industries
and factories and combustion of
fossil fuels; soil pollution is majorly
caused by industrial waste that
deprives soil from essential nutrients

27. 21.Overpopulation:
 The population of the planet is
reaching unsustainable levels as it
faces shortage of resources like
water, fuel and food. Population
explosion in less developed and
developing countries is straining the
already scarce resources. Intensive
agriculture practiced to produce
food damages the environment
through use of chemical fertilizer,
pesticides and insecticides.
Overpopulation is one of the crucial
current environmental problem

28. 22.Natural Resource Depletion:
 Natural resource depletion is
another crucial current
environmental problems. Fossil fuel
consumption results in emission of
Greenhouse gases, which is
responsible for global warming and
climate change. Globally, people are
taking efforts to shift to renewable
sources of energy like solar, wind,
biogas and geothermal energy. The
cost of installing the infrastructure
and maintaining these sources has
plummeted in the recent years.

29. 23.Waste Disposal:
 The over consumption of resources
and creation of plastics are creating
a global crisis of waste disposal.
Developed countries are notorious
for producing an excessive amount
of waste or garbage and dumping
their waste in the oceans and, less
developed countries. Nuclear waste
disposal has tremendous health
hazards associated with it. Plastic,
fast food, packaging and cheap
electronic wastes threaten the well
being of humans. Waste disposal is
one of urgent current environmental
problem

30. 24.Loss of Biodiversity:
 Human activity is leading to the
extinction of species and habitats
and and loss of bio-diversity. Eco
systems, which took millions of
years to perfect, are in danger when
any species population is
decimating. Balance of natural
processes like pollination is crucial to
the survival of the eco-system and
human activity threatens the same.
Another example is the destruction
of coral reefs in the various oceans,
which support the rich marine

31. 25.Ocean Acidification:
 It is a direct impact of
excessive production of
CO2. 25% of CO2 produced
by humans. The ocean
acidity has increased by the
last 250 years but by 2100, it
may shoot up by 150%. The
main impact is on shellfish
and plankton in the same
way as human osteoporosis.

32. 26.Ozone Layer Depletion:
 The ozone layer is an invisible layer of
protection around the planet that
protects us from the sun’s harmful rays.
Depletion of the crucial Ozone layer of
the atmosphere is attributed to pollution
caused by Chlorine and Bromide found in
Chloro-floro carbons (CFC’s). Once these
toxic gases reach the upper atmosphere,
they cause a hole in the ozone layer, the
biggest of which is above the Antarctic.
The CFC’s are banned in many industries
and consumer products. Ozone layer is
valuable because it prevents harmful UV
radiation from reaching the earth. This is
one of the most important current
environmental problem.

33. 27.Water Pollution
 : Clean drinking water is
becoming a rare commodity.
Water is becoming an
economic and political issue as
the human population fights
for this resource. One of the
options suggested is using the
process of desalinization.
Industrial development is filling
our rivers seas and oceans with
toxic pollutants which are a
major threat to human health

34. 28.Urban Sprawl:
 Urban sprawl refers to
migration of population from
high density urban areas to low
density rural areas which
results in spreading of city over
more and more rural land.
Urban sprawl results in land
degradation, increased traffic,
environmental issues and
health issues. The ever
growing demand of land
displaces natural environment
consisting of flora and fauna
instead of being replaced.

35. 29.Public Health Issues:
 The current environmental problems
pose a lot of risk to health of
humans, and animals. Dirty water is
the biggest health risk of the world
and poses threat to the quality of life
and public health. Run-off to rivers
carries along toxins, chemicals and
disease carrying organisms.
Pollutants cause respiratory disease
like Asthma and cardiac-vascular
problems. High temperatures
encourage the spread of infectious
diseases like Dengue.

36. 30.Sewage:

An estimated 200 million
gallons (Environmental
Assessment and Protection of
Karachi Harbour, Neville Burt
1997) of raw sewage enters
Karachi harbour mainly
through Lyari River and Chinna
Creek. There is no non-saline
(freshwater) input except for
the local run-off from rainfall.

37. 31.Solid Waste:
 Plastic bags are found all over the
harbour and are not only an eyesore but
also damaging to marine life. A wide-
diversity of garbage including wood and
plastic are also apparent. The garbage
originates from the municipal waste and
port activities. Water circulation and wind
driven currents concentrate this in certain
parts of the harbour, making it unsightly
and dangerous to ships as it can get stuck
in propellers. It can be expected that
there is also significant amount of solid
waste, which will have sunk to the bed of
the harbour