Islamabad : — Federal Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry warned marine pollution threatens the blue economy, harming biodiversity, fisheries, and tourism, while contributing to climate change, public health risks, and economic losses.
He shared these remarks during a meeting of the Marine Pollution Control Board, which he chaired on Thursday in Karachi, with participation from representatives of all relevant ministries, departments, and organizations.
The Minister also established two committees to identify issues and submitt a report with suggestions to promote cleaner coastlines, a healthier marine ecosystem, and a stronger system for pollution control.
The committees will focuss on on the Sewage Treatment Plant-III (SPT-III) project and the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), a treating wastewater from various industrial sources and will submit report to the Marine Pollution Control Board within 20 days.
Expressing displeasure about the excessive delay in convening regular meetings of the pollution board, the Minister directed that meetings should now be held in routine, noting that the current fifth meeting is occurring after a gap of 15 years.
The Minister emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive public awareness campaign, calling for the active involvement of all stakeholders to foster community engagement in efforts to combat marine pollution.
He underscored the importance of strict enforcement of existing environmental laws, suggesting robust penalties under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act for ships and industries found polluting marine waters.
He advocated for greater authority and operational empowerment of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to ensure effective implementation of regulations.
The Minister noted that land-based marine pollution particularly the discharge of untreated sewage and solid waste into coastal waters could be reduced by up to 90% through targeted and effective measures.
He elaborated on the wide-ranging consequences of marine pollution, noting that it undermines fisheries and tourism, inflicts economic losses, poses public health risks through contaminated seafood, exacerbates climate change, and endangers the livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities.
Damage to harbour infrastructure, increased erosion requiring frequent maintenance of marine platforms, and disruption of marine animal habitats, sometimes leading to species migration or extinction, were also highlighted in the meeting.
Drawing attention to sea-based sources of marine pollution, the meeting cited activities such as ballast water discharge, ship waste, fishing operations, offshore drilling, and shipbreaking as contributors to approximately 10% of marine pollution and stressed the need for strict policy enforcement by the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and other relevant maritime authorities to address these sources effectively.
The meeting briefed the Minister on the scale of the issue in Karachi, revealing that the city generates over 472 million gallons of sewage daily, including nearly 100 million gallons of industrial waste. This waste is funneled through a vast network of stormwater drains into the Lyari and Malir rivers, eventually making its way to the sea. Solid waste including biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclable materials is frequently dumped along waterways and coastal zones, contributing significantly to marine degradation.
To combat solid waste pollution, several mitigation measures were proposed such as installing nets on stormwater drains (nullahs), fencing rivers, and deploying systems to remove floating trash from the harbor. The importance of accelerating the completion of Sewerage Treatment Project and establishing new treatment plants especially in strategic and island locations such as Manora and Baba Bhit, as well as in the catchment areas of Kalri and Phitti nullahs was strongly emphasized.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
