When a Pakistani hears the word pollution, an image of a dirty street in their country comes into their mind where trash is loitering around; even the citizens have considered it a regular part of their daily life which is amusing and worrisome at the same time. A shocking revelation was made to the federal cabinet on 28 June 2022 that 30 million tons of waste are produced in Pakistan annually, and 80,000 tons of waste are being imported to Pakistan annually from different countries like Iran, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arab, Canada, USA, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and many other countries.
Most of the waste imported onshore is dumped into the sea, contaminating the groundwater supplies and the surface of the water, affecting marine life as well. It is not only affecting the environment but also is a significant health hazard. If we neglect this issue, in near future, Pakistan can be a hub for many deathly diseases, which can be dangerous not only for Pakistan but for the countries around Pakistan and the rest of the world.
The most comical part of this situation is that majority of the committee officials were not even aware of the situation that imported waste was being shipped to Pakistan.
Imports of toxin and non-toxin waste to Pakistan are from some of those countries that are the ones who always voice their concern regarding climate change. In a way, it is the double standards of countries like them to think that it is okay to export trash to a third-world country like Pakistan and show their concerns regarding climate change in front of the world.
When we look into the waste management setup of Pakistan, there is no proper setup for the citizen to throw their waste and the people who are hired to pick and collect trash are the ones who throw that dump into an empty plot or an abandoned area which cannot be considered as a proper setup. The country does not have well-developed waste management or an appropriate recycling system, which means tons of garbage has been piling up, which is quite an alarming situation and is also an eye-opener for the officials and the public.
The officials have to take some initiatives to stop Pakistan from becoming the “land of waste” in the future, which is not fair if we don’t do anything about this situation; Measures like making a proper system for recycling and waste management and by banning the imports of trash from other countries have to be taken. Plastic usage should be discouraged and re-usable alternatives should be promoted to the citizens of different age groups through mass media. The public must also volunteer by playing their part as law-abiding citizens and keeping their parks, roads, schools, and public places clean. As a citizen of Pakistan, we must seriously acknowledge this situation and play our part to stop Pakistan from becoming a dumping ground for waste.
