Water pollution
Water pollution in Pakistan is another environmental issue of concern. Waters at ground level are polluted and contaminated by industrial effluents as well as sewage waters. Waters at underground level are polluted by fertilizers and pesticides that dissolve and seep into these underground water bodies. (Ullah, 2008)
Agriculture is what constitutes most Pakistanis' income, and not only does air pollution affect agriculture, so does water pollution as well. Soil fertility decreases as salinity and waterlogging at irrigated land increases, negatively affecting agriculture, costing 0.9 per cent of Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With less fertile soil, there is a decrease in the yield of crops as well as the quality of crops due to the lack of nutrients in less fertile soils. Since most Pakistanis' income comes from the agriculture in Pakistan, the decrease in crop yield and quality of crops means less income for the already poor farmers, leading to poverty as the poor get poorer.(Ullah, 2008)
Feasible ways to sustain the environment and reduce water pollution are by the catering of cheaply priced drinking water to the public by water stations. This helps to reduce the health impacts of water pollution as uneducated Pakistanis reduce their consumption of undrinkable water. Farmers can also be educated on the use of appropriate fertilizers, suitable types of crop, and correct irrigation patterns, which will serve to enhance their crop production on saline lands.(Ullah, 2008)
According to the National Conservation Strategy Report, solid and liquid waste are the main source of water pollution in Pakistan, and is also what causes the widespread water-borne diseases. This is because only half of the people in Pakistan's urban areas have access to proper sanitation, whereas for the other half of Pakistan's urban residents, their waste is deposited on either roadsides or into waterways. Furthermore, there are only three sewage treatment plants in the whole of Pakistan, even though Pakistan's population continues to grow. Hence, much of sewage that is left untreated is either dumped into irrigation systems or into streams and rivers. In these irrigation systems, wastewater is reused, and the streams and rivers become carriers of sewage when the water flow is low. This means that crops grown from reused wastewater will be seriously contaminated by bacteria and waterborne pollutants In Pakistan, a common waterborne disease called gastroenteritis, is the leading cause of the death toll in Pakistan. (Pakistan Environmental Watch, 2011)
Agriculture is what constitutes most Pakistanis' income, and not only does air pollution affect agriculture, so does water pollution as well. Soil fertility decreases as salinity and waterlogging at irrigated land increases, negatively affecting agriculture, costing 0.9 per cent of Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With less fertile soil, there is a decrease in the yield of crops as well as the quality of crops due to the lack of nutrients in less fertile soils. Since most Pakistanis' income comes from the agriculture in Pakistan, the decrease in crop yield and quality of crops means less income for the already poor farmers, leading to poverty as the poor get poorer.(Ullah, 2008)
Feasible ways to sustain the environment and reduce water pollution are by the catering of cheaply priced drinking water to the public by water stations. This helps to reduce the health impacts of water pollution as uneducated Pakistanis reduce their consumption of undrinkable water. Farmers can also be educated on the use of appropriate fertilizers, suitable types of crop, and correct irrigation patterns, which will serve to enhance their crop production on saline lands.(Ullah, 2008)
According to the National Conservation Strategy Report, solid and liquid waste are the main source of water pollution in Pakistan, and is also what causes the widespread water-borne diseases. This is because only half of the people in Pakistan's urban areas have access to proper sanitation, whereas for the other half of Pakistan's urban residents, their waste is deposited on either roadsides or into waterways. Furthermore, there are only three sewage treatment plants in the whole of Pakistan, even though Pakistan's population continues to grow. Hence, much of sewage that is left untreated is either dumped into irrigation systems or into streams and rivers. In these irrigation systems, wastewater is reused, and the streams and rivers become carriers of sewage when the water flow is low. This means that crops grown from reused wastewater will be seriously contaminated by bacteria and waterborne pollutants In Pakistan, a common waterborne disease called gastroenteritis, is the leading cause of the death toll in Pakistan. (Pakistan Environmental Watch, 2011)