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Pakistan has been reported to generate more than 48.5 million tons of solid waste per year
which increases more than 2% annually. The growing problem of waste management in
Pakistan is especially faced by the developing cities. Karachi, being the largest city of Pakistan,
housing proximately 24 million people contributes to about 12000 tons of solid waste daily.
Most of this waste is recovered for recycling by scavengers before it can reach landfill sites and
be disposed of properly.
The improper waste management in Karachi has a good number of repercussions on the
environment, health and industrial sector in Pakistan. First and foremost it causes a lot of land,
noise and air pollution which can adversely affect industries small and large. A lot of small
industries in Pakistan get their raw materials locally, such as cotton or wood, and when the
environment is polluted, a lot of these materials obtained are impure. This carries onto the
production of goods such as clothes or wooden furniture which all takes place in polluted
environment and hence greatly decreases the quality of goods. A major industry impacted by
waste is the food industry, especially street food and local farmers. Most of these shops are
found near roadsides or in open market places which are usually swarming with flies, trash and
a foul smell... This not only discourages customers from buying fresh food and supporting the
local market but also poses health problems to those who do. The real estate and transport
industries are also majorly affected by the waste production. In Karachi, the excessive waste
production combined with floods during monsoon season due to improper drainage systems
leads to a number of road blockages and the rain water, mixed with trash on the street makes
an ideal breeding ground for ppests and disease carrying mosquitos. Furthermore, this
adversely impacts public transportation services such as taxis and busses which cannot operate
during such conditions. Garbage being thrown out in random piles instead of proper landfill
sites discourages potential home owners from buying houses near such areas and reels down
the business of real estate agents.
Some of the main reasons for a waste management issue being present include
In order to improve this, the government could instill laws and taxes such as policy of
disincentives, which discourages discarding of waste in the environment and includes tax
benefits for those who dispose of waste properly. Furthermore a Deposit refund system
could be applied in which the consumer has to pay a deposit at the time of purchase of a
product which will be refunded when the product such as an empty shampoo bottle is
returned to the store. Additionally, laws such as imposing a pollution fine could be
implemented for people who are indiscriminately discarding off waste and harming the
environment
In addition to this, a proper waste management council needs to be set up in local areas
instead of a provincial committee. It has been observed that the quality of waste
management decreased when the job was handed to the provincial government instead of
local councils. This committee will be responsible for effectively controlling the production,
storage collection, transportation, processing and disposal or utilization of solid waste in a
sanitary, aesthetically acceptable and economic manner. It includes all the administrative,
financial, legal and planning functions as well as the physical aspects of solid waste
handling.
Along with the government, the public needs to be educated too on the harms of improper
waste disposal and how to do it properly. Especially the owners of small local industries
who usually just dump out waste into the streets or the sea. The government also needs to
ban the excessive use of non-biodegradable products such as plastic bags and introduce
more- environmentally friendly alternatives such as paper bags.