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Prioritizing environmental protection
July 9, 2021
In our obsession with political news, we often forget the more pressing issues that confront the quality of life in Pakistan.
Climate change, air pollution, water scarcity, coal-based power plants, poor sanitation stare at us every day and rob the citizens of this country of their lives and quality of their lives. Yet, there is not much public discourse on this. We are going to refer to Kulsum Ahmed’s chapter on the quality of life in Shahid Javed Burki and others’ 2019 edited book ‘Pakistan at Seventy’ in this article.
Pakistan’s urban population increased from 22 percent in 1960 to 39 percent in 2016. Of course social scientists like Akbar Zaidi and Reza Ali estimate urbanization to be much more widespread than that. Even going by official figures, Pakistan is the most urbanized country in South Asia. Yet, the basic facilities for life like safe drinking water and sanitation are denied to the million in both urban a
Daily Times
May 4, 2021
The air quality in the federal capital was recorded healthy throughout the outgoing month of April as air pollutant ratio was recorded below safer limits. The air pollution was also less than April, 2020 during which lock down was imposed across the Capital amid Covid-19 pandemic rise. A monthly data projection of air quality, for April, 2021, released by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the particulate of 2.5 (PM2.5) microns which was a hazardous ambient air pollutant causing chronic respiratory diseases and premature deaths was recorded lower than permissible limits. The PM2.5 was not only below National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) of 35 micrograms per cubic meter rather World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 20 micrograms per cubic meter.
The air quality of the federal capital was recorded healthy after repeated days of polluted air due to an increased ratio of pollutants since February amid persistent dry weather.