Environmental pollution: A threat to human life
WORLD is rapidly developing, and with the advancement in technology, more and more it could take out of natural resources. Consumption of natural resources is not a free take away.
It costs destruction of eco-system, calls on the environmental imbalance and pollution of all kinds.
Major developed and industrially well-established cities have more pollution to suffer. Factories dump poisonous gases in air and poisonous wastes in water.
Air pollution is a threat to life as life survives on inhaling oxygen, but with the increased dump of carbon in air, lungs are affected mostly. Respiratory related diseases have caught over millions around the globe.
These factors accumulate and cause a global threat to life. A very existence of life on this planet we call ‘Home’.
Air pollution has caused very Toxic breathes for millions, but this is not it, Noise pollution is another threat. Loud noises affects cells and membranes of ear which causes hear loss.
Water pollution is most widely affecting phenomena, contaminated drinking water causes more than 480,000 children to lost their lives.
Water pollution is multi-dimensional as being due to not only factories dumping their waste in water canals.
But also plastic and other carbon fibre material contaminate water. Half of world’s population is deprived of clean drinking water.
Causes of pollution on one side, remedies are being slowly adopted. Tree plantation is said to be most effective way of catering to the environmental pollution.
Environmental hazards have caused ultra-violet rays to reach Earth, raising its temperature. Rising temperature is causing ice on the polar caps to melt rapidly.
This causes a chain reaction to start. Melting ice raises the sea level putting “Island Countries” at higher risk.
The continuously melting glaciers might wipe them out of the face of earth. Cities like Karachi are among those cities in the red circle.
Rising temperature has caused seasons to expand or contract unexpectedly and has imbalanced the predictability of weather. This puts millions at risk of losing their life in 50 years or so.
World is not sensitized about remedies to be incorporated to escape this slow poison.
Pakistan has responded to the world call very effectively, recent Million Tree Tsunami project has brought a fruitful change, it has enhanced the forests of the country and gave a break to international calamity.
For this very reason, Pakistan is among the leaders of world climate change initiatives. International Conference on Environmental Pollution was held on 05 June 2021.
This recognition is yet another affirmation of Prime Minister’s efforts and understanding of this climate change phenomena.
Islamabad, being the capital, is among the world’s most beautiful capitals, it comprises beautiful Margalla hill top forests, as the jewel of its crown.
This jungle catches fire every year, causing Timber Mafia to stand ahead in profits and forests to diminish. This is not the only factor affecting the beauty of the Capital City, Islamabad.
Crushing Mafia on the other end of Margalla Hills near Taxila have already wiped out Hills. After cries of the locals being heard by court, they were seized to work in area. But they found new sanctuary not far from Taxila and Wah Cant.
Villages Pathar Garh and Babarki of Tehsil Hassan Abdal, once being the beautiful gate ways to the famous Beautiful North of Pakistan, are now sanctuary for the Crushing Mafia, that has installed machines to crush Hills in the area and what not.
Use of blasts to cut through the hills and convert large chunks into crush for concrete use of the city.
Inhabitants of Pathar Garh and Babarki are widely affected by the blasting, as noises of blasts are causing them fear, Dust is now their ordinary wind, which is causing their lungs to swell out.
Asthama and other respiratory diseases are common. Large trucks, even larger than the village roads ply in this area frequently. Villagers’ life is at risk; their water resources are contaminated which is causing fuel to fire.
They are not safe even at home. This negligence of the concerned authorities has made them die out slowly.
Malik Amin Aslam, SAPM, being native of the area and flag bearer of the environmental initiatives of Government of Pakistan, is duly urged to take on this issue.
Authorities concerned and Crush Mafia to be irked and this illegal activity must be stopped forthwith. The inhabitants of this area are facing a lot of problems due to Crushing Mafia activities. The department concerned should cancel the lease for crushing purposes.
This action would certainly give a sigh of relief to the people of this area and natural beauty of these mountains can be preserved.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
