City's 7,000 tonnes garbage poses ecological threat

KARACHI - The City faces many problems including the high environmental concern of the day, from pollution to automobiles emission to sewerage discharge and weak cases of urban plantation. Hence, the City faces some acute environmental problems that need to be categorically addressed in the same light. According to Tahir Qureshi, an environmentalist connected with IUCN, said; There are far more many problems, and environmental problems to say that Karachi is experiencing at the moment, leading to many dangerous health concerns such as lung infection, skin diseases and water borne diseases. Qureshi maintains, Sewerage lines are old laid out plans, leakages have taken toll over the buildings and with the major problem of water scarcity that has risen in recent times; we are even bound to drink contaminated water that comes in our water-taps. The Industries Act of 1977, strongly suggests that we need to treat our water before making any use of it. Gone were the days when Karachi used to be called as the cleanest City of the sub-continent. Presently over 15,000 industrial units located in different districts, discharge highly toxic waste. Besides polluting the atmosphere of the City, these units have converted the blue waters of Arabian coast into a septic tank. Thousands of tonnes of toxic waste are dumped into the sea everyday. The industrial waste containing poisonous chemicals and flowing into the sea has severally damaged the marine life and the beauty of the sea-shore. The City generates around 7,000 tonnes of garbage daily which is also disposed of without proper treatment. On the other hand, the poor urban plantation program has gravely affected the City, no forestry, no penetrating green-belt on the side roads; have shown that the world over as much as 25 per cent of greenery gives a better view of the City. Look, at the way Mumbai and Calcutta have progressed on the same footing but Karachi has lagged behind. Not even 10 per cent of green belt avenue plantation has taken place on the roadsides. The more we have added to our misery is cutting down of mangroves forest, which lies in the suburbs on the East and Western coast of the City. Qureshi strongly believes that, KPT, Port Qasim and CDGK, must have an outreach material ready to combat the problem of environmental concerns that have created a darker image of the City in terms of degradation of environment and in creating health hazards.