Sustainable Environment: Challenges and Solution in Pakistan

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023

The economic growth of the global industrial sector has become a grave concern to immensely degrade the environment in recent years. The industries lack an effective environmental management plan to mitigate environmental contamination and pollution load by following good practices such as less consumption of raw materials, waste reduction, wastewater treatment, and pollution control. Significantly, the current study aims to investigate the environmental baseline conditions of Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate (QIE) and design Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to alleviate the impacts of industrial wastewater effluents, ambient air, ambient noise level, and solid waste. In addition, this study monitors the current pollution status and develops the air/water quality indices to evaluate sustainable environmental management practices (SEMP) in QIE. The obtained key finding reported a poor wastewater quality index ranging from 100 to 150. Furthermore, the air quality index suggested that ambient air in the vicinity of QIE varied from 52 to 72, which is evident that ambient air is moderately polluted and pose risk to public health. Additionally, the ambient noise level was considerably 12.8% higher in the morning and 18.7% higher than the prescribed level in the afternoon. Furthermore, approximately 10 t of solid waste was collected regularly from the industrial waste pits. Around 85.8% were moderately polluting ambient air whereas only 5.1% highly deteriorating ambient air. Significantly, a detailed environmental management plan (EMP) was designed to include impact identification, mitigation measures, frequency of monitoring the effectiveness of mitigatory measures, and assigning of responsibilities. Overall, the environmental management plan should become an integral part of the overall management system to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), including sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), life below water (SDG14), and life on land (SDG15).

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2018

EUR 28898 EN This publication is a Science for Policy report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication.

2020

In the current era, development is moving with immediate speed, technology advancement is no doubt a blessing, but there are some challenges that are associated with unstable economic growth which influence well-being of people as well as environment. These issues are prevailing due to the dramatic urban development and knocking the doors of legislators, city planners and development specialist for the efficient management of city by adopting sustainable approaches. Much debates about the explanation of these terms (Gibson, 2006) likewise the rise of a surplus competing definitions for sustainability was observed (Robinson, 2004). This absence of compromise on the definition leads to its unclear and intricate meaning of sustainability (Evans & Jones, 2008), as it gave varied perception of sustainability to administrations and stakeholders. Though this ambiguity might look negative, Robinson (2004). The term Sustainability has been questioned many times on different platforms. Subseq...

We should definitely like to see Pakistan without any environmental issue but currently there are lots of challenges. As in fact we are growing at the rate of more than 8 percent in GDP and creating lots of economic opportunities, this is also growing stress and implications on environment. The constant growth in population is another massive challenge. As we grow economically, we have to decide at this point in time that we ensure better quality of life. At the end of the day, when we have more money but our quality of life suffers and we can't breathe and drink pure water; then it is not worth it. Now the Government must show scores of commitment to guarantee that as we grow, we also ensure that the quality of life of our citizens is made better and we, as a country, might be called an environment friendly country. The government should announce the 'National Environment Policy' with considerably increase in the budget for environment. Let us have a look at some of our burning environmental issues. 1. Need for tree plantations in urban centres – There is no doubt that planting trees help in maintaining good environment. Trees in urban centres help clean environment and reduce pollution. Islamabad, for instance, is one of most protected cities of the world with lot of vegetation and clean healthy environment. So there is need to plant trees in other cities like Islamabad.

Environmental Challenges and Constraints to Policy issues for Sustainable Industrial Development in Pakistan Mahmood A. Khwaja Like most of other south Asian countries, traditionally, Pakistan?s economy has been centered on agriculture. However, in the recent past, manufacturing and services have also emerged as major contributing sectors. The share of manufacturing sector, from 18.3% in 2007 to 30% by 2030, has been envisioned in Vision 2030. With the increasing industrial & agricultural activities, energy demands, urbanization, traffic density and population growth, the degradation of all segments (air, water & land) of environment is alarmingly increasing and remains a grave concern. The unsound management of chemicals, specially in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, have further compounded the environmental issues. Trade liberalization programs like South Asian Free Trade Area, SAFTA, are likely to lead to export growth and thus enhanced production, also resulting in fu...

In this Paper discussed the National Environmental Strategy and Pakistan's environmental issues, The National Environment Strategies provides an overarching framework for addressing the environmental issues facing- Pakistan.

Ecological Questions, 2023

Urban environment carries complex land-use and land cover (LULC), similarly Karachi as a metropolitan have multifaceted LULC and compact infrastructure. This study seeks to assess the impact of infrastructure of urban environment at mega city Karachi Pakistan. Approximately, fifteen different locations of metropolitan with different surroundings were evaluated based on the studied variables of surrounding such as temperature, humidity, formaldehyde (HCHO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) pollution, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in air i.e., air quality, maximum noise pollution and minimum noise pollution were investigated. The readings have been collected through relevant instruments and the results have been generated through interpolation in ArcMap 10.8. The obtained results revealed that the physical factors affect the temperature and humidity conditions of the study area. While environmental and noise pollution depends on the surroundings, e.g. industrial surrounding effects on air quality, i.e. 180 recorded at industrial region of Korangi, while construction sites are catalysts of noise pollution and highest noise pollution are recorded at North-Nazimabad. Cancer causing substance, i.e. formaldehyde found along the petrol pumps, airports and transportation junctions ranges up to 0.99 ppm near Jinnah International airport and mass transit location of Shahrah e Faisal. While total volatile compound pollution has been found along the Malir catchment area, i.e. 0.4 mg/m 3. The lifestyle of Karachiites need to be transform there is a dire need to think about physical and mental concord of the citizens of metropolitan. Similarly, government should play some positive actions and introduced green and environmental friendly technology to control air and noise pollution.

Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2011

Industries have contributed for human development by improving human life styles, increasing human life expectancy rate, providing more and more jobs. Still industrialization has many negative impacts on the environment and especially on human health. This investigation was carried out to probe the impacts of Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate on Township area, Lahore. During this investigation wastewater monitoring and ambient air monitoring had been done. Samples from main industrial drain were collected for wastewater analysis and seventeen parameters including pH, temperature, color, odor, turbidity, conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chlorides, oil/grease, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), ammonia-nitrogen (NH 3 -N 2 ), iron, sulfate, nickel and chromium were investigated. Among them pH, total suspended solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen were found exceeding the NEQS limits. The ambient air samples were also collected and five parameters of ambient air including particulate matter (PM 10 ), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and noise were monitored. Among them only particulate matter was exceeding the WHO guidelines. Although there were few parameters like pH, TSS, BOD, COD and NH 3 -N 2 of water and PM 10 of air, which do not lie within the national environmental quality standards (NEQS) limits but proper monitoring is needed to be done so that parameters may not cross their permissible limits in future. This problem must be taken into consideration by both the management of Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate and Governmental agencies because it is the responsibility of state also to make the environment clean.

The notion of sustainability is widely used from micro to macro scale studies but only few approaches deal with its measurement. Increased global interest in sustainability has triggered attention in indicators as a means of achieving a more sustainable world. Although the search for indicators has led to the development of criteria for good indicators, it has also been dominated by scientific elites. After the implementation of new devolution plan, last six years have seen significant changes in the mega city of Karachi, Pakistan; both in terms of environment and physical landscape. Recent modifications in the landscape of this mega city has produced diversified impacts on the dwellers who have to suffered major problems in shape of poor air and noise quality, ultimately destructing the human as well overall ecological health. The concept of urban renewal has been legitimately applied but the impact assessment of interim effects has not been conducted. In this paper, a set of indic...

2013

Urban planning includes land use management and environmental change. It makes arrangement for community facilities and services. Since, sustainable development has been included as a vital end product of all planning goals it also provides for balanced use of land, housing and transportation and better quality of life. Present urban planning in Pakistan is not ensuring sustainable development in Pakistan. This is tested through the case study of master planning in Rawalpindi and its implementation through housing schemes in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Large portions of provisions of master plans are not implemented. This paper explains how the urban planning will be made enabled to ensure sustainable development in Pakistan. Six numbers of housing schemes and two squatter settlements have been surveyed through questionnaires, secondary data, the opinions of the experts from related fields and site observations. Amenities and social services at far distance, very less green area, Less qua...