Garbage Problems in Pakistan

DOES THIS NOT DISGUST
YOU?
A Comprehensive Research on Pakistan’s Issues concerning
Garbage Disposal and Government and Social Efforts to
Improve Them

COURSE OF RESEARCH
 A variety of quality print and
electronic sources was used to extract
the material for the research.
 Arham Ahmad provided with a very good newspaper
article regarding our topic.
 S.M. Umer Hasan found very good links regarding laws
about garbage disposal in Pakistan.
 M. Areeb Nafey uddin Siddiqui found very good,
reliable sites about types of garbage in Pakistan and how
they should be handled.

THE PROBLEM
The Pakistani Nation is, sadly, enveloped in a mixture of
political, social and environmental problems. One of the
country’s major problems, concerning specifically the
environment, is waste management. This is portrayed
very clearly in the urban, as well as rural areas, by large,
unpleasing lots of accumulating, ever-increasing loads of
garbage, which, due to improper ways of disposal, and
lack of scientific lines, become breeding points for
various disease-causing species.

TYPES OF GARBAGE IN PAKISTAN

The garbage
produced in
Pakistan can
roughly be classified
into three types:
 Municipal Solid Waste
(MSW)
 Hospital Waste
 Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs)

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE: WHAT IS IT?
 Municipal Solid Waste is generally
described as useless or unwanted material
as a result of human or animal activity.
This is most commonly solid, semi-solid or
liquid waste.
New technology and commercialization in
rural areas have increased production there
as well.
Alarmingly, the per capita production of
MSW in Pakistan per day is up to 0.612 kg,
which increases by 2.4% annually. BACK

ACCUMULATION OF MSW: WHY?

97% of Pakistan’s landfills’
content consists of MSW. This
accumulation is due to:
 No proper waste collection
 Dumping of waste on streets
 Unclassified waste: all types
of waste dumped together
 Uncontrolled landfill sanitary
sites
 Unawareness of hazards
amongst public

INHOSPITABLE HOSPITAL WASTE
Caused by careless waste disposal by
hospitals and other medical institutions, this is
the second major type of waste in Pakistan.
Hospital Waste Management means the
management of waste produced by hospitals
using such techniques that will help to check
the spread of diseases through it.
Though medical institutes are not much
responsible for release of chemicals, chemical
waste also comes under this category..
BACK

IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF HOSPITAL WASTE
Isthis way of disposal, by any means, correct and healthy?
Won’t it encourage spread of diseases?

PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are found
in very little quantities in Pakistan; yet these
make up 0.1 to 0.5% of all waste produced in the
country.
POPs are toxic synthetic organic chemicals that are used in industry and
agriculture, as well as created unintentionally through chlorine
combustion processes
Industrial chemicals and other unwanted byproducts like Dioxins come
under this category.
These tend to accumulate in the fat layers of bodies, which makes their
growth a serious environmental issue.
POPs are readily spread through air and/or water, therefore, their
production anywhere in the world is a serious global threat.
BACK

HOW PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS ACT
Do we think about the risks before we use the POPs?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GARBAGE
ACCUMULATION?
Neither the Government, nor the public can be held completely
responsible for garbage accumulation in the country. This is
evident especially in Karachi where at the biggest dumpsite of
Jam Chakro (500 acres), no environmental checks exist. The site
is, therefore termed by the scientists as ‘a recipe for an
environmental disaster’. The reason behind this are numerous;
only a few are discussed here.
Out of 9,000 tonnes of garbage produced everyday, only 5,000 tonnes reaches the government-
designated landfills. It is this remaining 3,000 tonnes that forms those unsightly landfills at the
corners of every street.
In the metropolis, Karachi, the urban landscape is dotted so frequently with the city’s landscape
that more or less, they merge with the sights of the city.
Lack of coordination between the government and town nazims leads to uncontrolled amounts of
garbage reaching the landfills.
Organic, inorganic and non-biodegradable, old building material and hazardous waster, i.e.,
chemical or hospital waste, all go unchecked and unclassified into the dumps. This variety of types
of garbage makes it almost impossible to handle the load of accumulated garbage.

SCIENTIFIC & HEALTH HAZARDS
 The only considered way of disposing off garbage in Pakistan is seen as
burning. Pointing out the health hazards it poses, Dr. Nasiruddin Khan,
senior faculty member of the University of Karachi (Chemistry Dept.)
said that burning of garbage means release of toxic nitrogen oxides,
sulphur oxides, volatile organic chemicals and polycyclic organic
matter. Moreover, he said that burning plastic also releases heavy
metals and toxic chemicals such as dioxin.
 No check exists on this and people exposed to these generally complain
of eye and nose irritation, breathing difficulties, coughing and
headaches.
 Improper disposal of hospital waste contributes to spreading of
dangerous diseases like Hepatitis A, B and C, chicken pox, AIDS,
typhoid, etcetera.
 Burning of hospital waste can cause cancer, birth defects, decreased
psychomotor ability, hearing defects, cognitive defects, etcetera.
 Persistent Organic Pollutions are not manageable and their disposing is
highly contagious to human health.

WHAT ABOUT FUTURE?
As all sorts of waste reaches the landfills, the dangers
are not restricted to just land, but to air and water as well.
As solid waste is burnt, and generally does not burn well,
smouldering clouds are seen which smell toxic. What left
behind is dirty smelling waste-a celebration for mosquitoes,
rats and flies in near future.
Waste is also often thrown into the naalas. This causes
high-level water pollution. Plus, as garbage is also a
breeding site for bacteria, methane gas is produced due to
which water is contaminated and is liable to quickly
become unsafe for human and animal consumption.
Over a period of time, this is expected to ruin the
underground water sources as well.

A VERY DISGUSTING VIEW
These are COCKROACHES on a dustbin with rotting rubbish!

ANOTHER VERY DISGUSTING VIEW
A big swarm of mosquitoes and flies partying over a big dump of
uncovered garbage

EFFORTS IN THREE OTHER COUNTRIES TO REDUCE
GARBAGE PROBLEMS
England:
Fishing was banned at the Thames River to reduce pollution. Fine was
imposed on those who tried to litter in the river. This was the strategy later
used for roads and parks as well.

Germany
The country played its role in controlling garbage by excessive
recycling. They also introduced a “Green Dot” system, which helped them cut
down the waste production up to one million tonnes.

Singapore
Last in the list is Singapore, which has made exemplary attempts to
control waste production. Campaigns like “Zero Waste Singapore” had a great
impact for which is now the cleanest country of the world. Special emphasis
was laid on toxic waste control which preserved the nation’s scenic beauty.
New recycling strategies were developed to make garbage sustainable.

PAKISTAN’S EFFORTS TO CONTROL GARBAGE

Though laws exist, less of them are being enforced, and
acted upon. Even the law-enforcing agencies are seen
breaking those laws. The government is making some
efforts to minimize the rate of garbage production in the
country, as indicated in the National Study for
Privatisation of Solid Waste Management in eight cities of
Pakistan, EPMC, 1996.
Based on this study, the Government of Pakistan
enacted the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA)
in 1997—the most recent and updated legislation on the
environment. It provides a framework for establishing
federal and provincial Environmental Protection Agencies
(EPAs).

A FEW LAWS CONCERNING GARBAGE
Presently, the legal rules and regulations dealing
with solid waste management in Pakistan are as
follows:
 Section 11 of Pakistan Environmental Protection Act prohibits
discharge that violates National Environmental Quality
Standards.
 Draft Hazardous Substances Rules of 1999.
 Islamabad Capital Territory Bye Laws, 1968, by Capital
Development Authority Islamabad.
 Section 132 of Cantonment Act 1924 deals with deposits and
disposal of rubbish.
 Provisions contained in Local Government Ordinance, 2001.

A RAY OF HOPE?
The environmentalists should be happy
now—the growth of awareness amongst
youngsters of the country of all financial
classes has led them to take action against
garbage.
Youngsters of Lahore’s Gulberg Town themselves formed a committee
they called ‘Zimmedar Shehri’ and devoted themselves to clear the town
of unwanted waste wherever possible, only on Sundays. Though simple,
it aims for a better environment of a country facing political instability.
Another thing was seen recently in Islamabad, where the Capital
Development Authority (CDA) actually fined a guy named Ahmed Ali
when he was spotted throwing a disposable plate out of the window of a
running car in sector F-10 on 14th October 2011.

WHAT CAN I DO?
 As an individual, firstly try to minimise the
amount of garbage you produce.
 Try to reuse, if possible, any of the refuse.
 Now for the big step: before dumping, make
sure to classify the different types of garbage.
Keep paper separate, plastic separate, wood
separate, and so on. In this way you facilitate
the landfill management to manage the landfill
sites, and control the amount of garbage in the
landfills.

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR WRITTEN MATTER

 DAWN Metro and South, 3rd October 2011
 DAWN Images, 8th May 2011

 http://www.wwfpak.org/factsheets_mswf.php

 http://www.wwfpak.org/factsheets_hwf.php

 http://www.wwfpak.org/factsheets_popf.php

 http://www.environment.gov.pk/PRO_PDF/Po
sitionPaper/Brief-SWM-%20Pak.pdf

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR PICTURES
 http://www.demotix.com/photo/global-warming-could-be-changing-
climate-pakistan-episode-1207490
 http://205.254.135.24/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/mswaste/msw.html.
 http://newshopper.sulekha.com/pakistan-daily-life_photo_1640869.htm
 http://domesticfuel.com/?s=Fiberight
 http://www.cozypad.com/the-importance-of-proper-medical-waste-
disposal/15041.html
 http://www.parn.org.pk/index_files/HOSPITALWASTE.html
 http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=3
97&ArticleID=4486&l=en
 http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/88733.html
 http://www.grida.no/geo/geo3/english/366.htm
 http://ywopakistan.com/2011/08/21/future-plans/
 http://bayimages.net/view-photos/cockroach-garbage-can-191.html
 http://society.ezinemark.com/weekly-news-in-picture-29th-november-
77367d8169de.html

A SINCERE ADVICE FROM

 M. Areeb Abdun Nafey uddin Siddiqui
(Leader, Compilation, ICT Management)
 Syed Muhammad Umer Hasan (Research)

 Arham Ahmad (Research, Time Management)

 M. Sarrosh Khan (Spectator)

Above mentioned are the group members of Group A3 of class IX-V,
Generation’s School (South Campus).

Garbage Problems in Pakistan

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