Urban air pollution proving costly for Pakistan
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Urban pollution is one of the most significant environmental problems faced by cities, and costs billions of rupees annually to the national exchequer in Pakistan. A recent study conducted by the World Bank has estimated the damages caused by pollution annually at Rs 62-65 billion, which is one percent of the country's GDP.
With an estimated 35 percent of the population living in cities, Pakistan is the most urbanised country in South Asia. Cities continue to grow, offering employment, better living conditions and basic amenities that are not available in rural areas. The rapid urbanisation, however, is accompanied by environmental problems such as pollution, waste management, congestion and imbalance in fragile ecosystems. People are exposed to industrial and vehicular emission and green house gases that cause gastrointestinal diseases and anaemia both in children and adults. Exposure to lead contamination is the most damaging, since it causes cardiovascular diseases, acute respiratory and chronic obstructive diseases. “Urban air particulate pollution is estimated to cause around 22,000 premature deaths among adults and 700 deaths among young children,” claims the study. The study says that a high concentration of suspended particulate adversely affects human health, the most hazardous being the fine particulate of 10 microns in diameter (PM10) or smaller. Worldwide fine particulate are responsible for 500,000 premature deaths and 415 million new cases of chronic bronchitis. In urban Pakistan, the major sources of fine particulate pollution are vehicles, combustion of fossil fuels in factories and power plants. Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Director General Asif Shuja Khan said that proportion of harmful suspended particulate in the air was four to five times higher than the prescribed standards of the World Health organisation (WHO). Khan said, “Particulate matters were recorded at 135 microgram per metre cube in Islamabad against the standard 35 microgram per metre cube. The figure stood at 150 in Lahore, but the situation was better in Karachi, although rising nitrogen and ethane contamination was a concern in Karachi.” The EPA director general said the leakage of methane from CNG stations was one of the major polluters and it also contributed to climate change. “Presently, 1,400 CNG stations are working in the country with 900,000 vehicles already converted to CNG,” he said, adding, “The Leakage of methane from CNG stations is equally damaging the environment.” Ambient concentration of particulate in cities is also two to four times higher than the WHO recommended levels. Airborne lead is another harmful particulate pollutant. Young children are especially vulnerable to airborne lead as lead poisoning causes learning disabilities, hearing loss, behavioural abnormalities and affects IQ levels in children. Understanding the gravity of the problem, the government banned lead from gasoline and in 2001-2002, all major refineries announced that they would produce lead free gasoline. The health impacts, however, persist as lead deposits accumulated in soil and water dissipate easily. Khan said the government under its Clean Air Programme had installed air pollution monitoring systems in federal and provincial capitals and centralised data was being gathered at a laboratory set up in Islamabad. He said the government was introducing Euro 2 standard, adding that petrol and gas vehicles would begin following it by 2008. For diesel vehicles, he said, the cut off date was July 2009 as the government was also consulting with petroleum companies to bring down sulphur usage. The EPA director general said the government was also trying to introduce clean fuels, regular inspection of vehicles, installation of pollution control devices at industrial units and discourage use of fuels emitting green house gases. Indoor air pollution is another serious problem due to the use of traditional biomass fuels such as wood, dung and crop residues. According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, 86 percent of rural households and 32 percent of urban households rely on these modes as primary cooking fuel. Biomass burnt in poorly ventilated homes has severe health consequences for women, young children and the elderly. Indoor air pollution due to the varying levels of concentration, accounts for over 28,000 deaths annually and 40 million cases of acute respiratory illness. It also costs the national exchequer in billions (around Rs 60 billion). Air pollution as a whole puts significant economic burden and warrants considerably greater policy and analytical attention. As efforts are already afoot to deal with this challenge, there is a dire need for concentrated efforts by all stakeholders to mitigate air pollution and ensure cleaner air for future generations. Source: Daily Times |
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