BIOL 105
Research Article
BIOL 105 Section (A, B, C or D): _B________
Team members and student numbers:
Karmjot Singh (10132700)
Lovejot Kaur (10128638)
Robinpreet Kaur (10133824)
Research topic:
Problem of Water Pollution in Pakistan
Introduction
While we describe sustainability of any country, we must deal on three parameters: Economic
sustainability, Environmental sustainability and social sustainability. In biology, our focus is on
studying environmental sustainability which deals with the problems like pollution of different
types including water pollution which is the focus of our research project. Here, we will be
analyzing the menace of water pollution in Pakistan. Pakistan's yearly per capita water availability
is under one thousand cubic meters, a decrease from 5,650 cubic meters per person in 1960, in
accordance with government data (Hebert, 2012). On the other hand, the United States enjoys a
per capita water availability of 9,800 cubic meters (Hebert, 2012). Quality wise also, out of 122
countries, Pakistan comes in at number 80 for the quality of its drinking water (Azizullah et al.,
2011). In Pakistan, one of the biggest concerns to public health is water pollution. Drinking water
quality is not thoroughly monitored or observed. The WHO has established several drinking water
quality standards that are regularly broken. All over the nation, supplies of drinking water—both
surface and groundwater—are tainted with pesticides, hazardous metals, and coliforms. The main
causes of the decline in water quality are human activities such as imprudent discharge of industrial
and municipal sewage and reckless utilization of agrochemicals in agriculture (Azizullah et al.,
2011). So, the level as well as the quality of water is getting lower day by day in Pakistan.
Environmental and health consequences of water pollution in Pakistan
The main stakeholders that are affected directly by water pollution in Pakistan are marine
organisms and humans and birds are also affected indirectly due to polluting water bodies. The
quality of water used for drinking has an immediate effect on sports, tourism, fishing, and social
activities. These are the activities that humans do but there is more to it which is often neglected.
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources claims that a survey was carried out in 23
major Pakistani cities; four primary contaminants were found there, with bacteria accounting for
the vast majority of contaminants (69%). Supplies of safe water for consumption do get
contaminated, which has detrimental effects on the health and financial fronts (Ahmed et al., 2020).
Industrial pollution these days is at peak in Pakistan due to high volume of production
taking place in factories. In those industrial plants, there are very toxic chemicals which have some
residues that are released into the nearby water bodies. These environmental degradations are a
result of the advancement of contemporary modes of communication and transportation, the use
of contemporary appliances, etc. Humans and their surroundings are always interacting; in the
same way that human activity influences the world, phenomena of society are greatly impacted by
the surrounding environment (Ali, n.d.). Therefore, it poses a great health risk to us human beings
which could turn into chronic diseases such as cancer and respiratory problems (asthma) etc. In
addition to this, Pakistan’s agricultural fields are suffering a lot due to extremely high usage of
toxic chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are used to increase the crop yield but on the other
hand not only it affects soil fertility in the long term but also contaminates the natural sources of
irrigation such as canals, rivers, lakes and so forth.
Remedial measures to tackle this water problem in Pakistan
To tackle this big problem of water pollution in Pakistan, one of the most suitable ways is to build
more dams in Pakistan. Investing money in large and small-scale dams is crucial but every attempt
should be made to cut down on the ecological and social costs that come with them, such as
population displacement and disruption of the natural ecosystem (Nabi et al., 2019). Water quality
management requires the regulation and storage of water, which dams can assist with. Dams can
actually help lessen sedimentation and contamination of water bodies by managing river flow. So,
small-scale dams with low environmental and socioeconomic costs that can be utilized for energy,
agriculture, fisheries, and drinking water should be given top priority (Nabi et al., 2019). This is
an important in Pakistan, because excessive pesticide usage and industrial pollution have worsened
water pollution. By acting as a barrier, dams have the capacity to prevent those industrial as well
as agrochemical toxins from getting into water sources downstream.
In addition to this, constructing dams is advantageous for irrigation purposes that
will further lead to the supply of clean water. Dams can provide reliable sources of freshwater
which we can store during the rainy season and use it when we really need it. If the dams are
maintained and regulated properly then, it will decrease the level of chemical pesticides and
fertilizers which create water pollution.
Conclusion
In conclusion, everything has its pros and cons, but it depends on how people perceive things. Poor
quality of drinking water in Pakistan creates a lot of water pollution because of industries and
agriculture which puts detrimental effect on environment as well as on public health. It is the
government’s responsibility to undertake the construction of ecologically sustainable dams serving
as natural filters, not depend on contaminated sources and implement a ban on harmful fertilizers
that are used in agriculture to tackle this issue. This approach can provide a way to Pakistan to be
more sustainable.
References
Ahmed, T., Zounemat-Kermani, M., & Scholz, M. (2020). Climate Change, Water Quality and
Water-Related Challenges: A Review with Focus on Pakistan. International Journal of
Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8518. MDPI AG. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228518
Ali, B., Gul, P., Khan, A.N., & Shahzad, S. (n.d.). Water Pollution as an Environmental Hazard
to Life and Response from the Legal System of Pakistan. BiLD Law Journal, 7(3s).
https://www.bildbd.com/index.php/blj/article/download/467/298
Azizullah, A., Khattak, M. N. K., Richter, P., & Häder, D. (2011). Water pollution in Pakistan
and its impact on public health — A review. Environment International, 37(2), 479–497.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2010.10.007
Hebert, D. (2012, January 5). Impossible Odds, Irrepressible Hope: Pakistan’s water woes and
the science that can solve them. Earth Magazine.
https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/impossible-odds-irrepressible-hope-pakistanswater-woes-and-science-can-solve-them/
Nabi, G., Ali, M., Khan, S., & Kumar, S. (2019). The crisis of water shortage and pollution in
Pakistan: risk to public health, biodiversity, and ecosystem. Environmental Science and
Pollution Research, 26(11), 10443–10445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04483-w
Individual Contributions
Robinpreet Kaur (10133824): Introduction and Conclusion
Lovejot Kaur (10128638): Environmental and health consequences of water pollution in
Pakistan
Karmjot Singh (10132700): Remedial measures to tackle this water problem in Pakistan