KARACHI: Pakistan is a water-stressed country and is nearing the threshold of water scarcity, whereas industrial waste has been polluting the limited water resources in the country.
This was emphasised by speakers during a media briefing session conducted by the Worldwild Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) regarding a project titled ‘International Labour and Environmental Standards (ILES), Application in Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)’.
The project primarily focuses on reducing the use of water and hazardous chemicals by 15% to 20% in SMEs. The project promotes sustainable production and plans to mobilise and build capacity of more than 500 textile and leather industries in Pakistan.
This has consequential impacts on natural resources, people’s health and eventually on overall economic conditions, he said.
He informed the media that WWF-Pakistan will initiate a study for the situational analysis of water resources in Karachi to establish a case for a citywide partnership for the responsible use of water.
WWF-Pakistan Technical Adviser Muhammad Moazzam Khan maintained that treatment plants (TP) in the city particularly TP-1, TP-2 and TP-3 located in SITE, Mehmoodabad and Mauripur respectively have not been functional since 2013. Due to this, untreated sewage of both the industrial and domestic sectors is dumped into the sea through nullahs. Moreover, the industrial waste from these industries contains toxic compounds of metals such as copper, chromium, and nickel, which are hazardous to human health, he said.
Responding to a question regarding One Planet City Challenge (OPCC), she said the WWF-Pakistan is working to introduce renewable energy in Karachi and through the OPCC carbon emissions estimates from different sectors in the city will be collected and green initiatives undertaken by the city government reported.