Improper households disposal causes damage to human health, ecosystem in Northern Areas 

Shazia Mehboob Tanoli

Islamabad: While the bigwigs of the country pleading for financial assistance to fight against climate change implications, the absence of proper disposal mechanisms in the districts sensitive to climate change speaks volumes of the apathy of the concerned departments and agencies. The improper disposal of household and medical waste not only damages the naturally-build ecosystem, and causes environmental pollution but affects human healthcare.

Mansehra, a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is among those sensitive districts of Pakistan which are on the brink of environmental damage.

A few years back, these streams were famous for their clean waters, locals were using these streams’ water for drinking and other purposes, today they have not only dried out due to damages to the naturally-build ecosystem but become junkyards of household waste, especially diapers and plastic bags, said 65-year-old Rafiq Ahmed, a resident of Karer. The village is situated a few kilometers from the Qalandarabad Interchange of the Hazara Motorway.

Like other parts of the Mansehra district, the village is famous for its natural water streams and lush green valleys situated in the middle of mountains. However, lack of awareness among locals, and improper disposal cause damage to the natural environment, Rafiq Ahmed added. The village has an estimated 1,500 population.

“In the early years when our women started using diapers for children, they were disposing them on agricultural land which caused heavy damage to our crops,”  said Mohsin Khan, another local resident, “following the damages I guided them to dispose of the diapers in nearby tributary rather throwing in the agriculture fields,” Khan added.

Although we have protected the agricultural land from pollution, the diapers damage the ecosystem of their village, Khan lamented. The disposal of diapers in the nearby stream not only polluted the external environment but underground water reservoirs. 

The wells which were overflowing some 15 years back are now dried out and put the village residents dependent on tap water for domestic use.     

Naheeb Bibi has three children and her eldest child is about eight-year-old. She has been using diapers since the birth of her first child. “Although I avoid using diapers every time because it is costly to afford, its use cannot be avoided,” Naseem Bibi said.

When asked if she knows disposing of diapers in the open places causes environmental pollution, Bibi said she doesn’t have any idea about its environmental implications. It is a system going on for years as she has witnessed her aunties and other women in the village disposing of diapers in low-lying streams.

Karer is not the only village where a missing disposal mechanism causes environmental pollution and damages to the naturally-build eco-system, there are around a dozen of Union Councils in the surrounding mountains which lack a mechanism to prevent environmental pollution of diaper disposal, said Safdar Hussain, a resident of Qalandarabad. There is no scientific mechanism available to dispose of household waste in the remote villages, Hussain added.

Hussain added that more concerning is that the medical waste in the UCs situated between Mansehra and Abbottabad is also disposed of in low-lying agri fields or natural water streams, contaminating the water for human use.

As a result, the waste not only causes environmental and water pollution in the districts but causes the spread of many infectious diseases, said Safdar informed.

For him, the implications of polluted water for human life are more concerning, said environment rights activist Mahmood Aslam.

There is a large portion of patient visit hospitals in Mansehra and Abbottabad on a daily basis with water-borne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis, but unfortunately, the management of these hospitals don’t keep records of patients suffering water-borne diseases, Aslam lamented.

 Safdar Hussain said, “Although, in Abbottabad and Mansehra cities, there is a dumping mechanism available within the jurisdiction of WASA and TMA, in remote regions comprising dozens of union councils, there is no mechanism available to dispose of the medical and household wastes.”  Synergies, tubes, and other medical wastes can be witnessed in the low-lying area of these UCs, Hussain maintained.

Aslam further said the introduction of plastic bags and diapers has brought drastic challenges for the natural environment in the region, adding that broken chains between the relevant authorities and departments are furthering the complications.

The international law states that the wastewater could not be discharged into natural streams, Mahmood Aslam informed, adding that under the international laws, the district authorities are bound to evolve strategy and ensure its implantation in true letter and spirit to protect the natural ecosystem from damages.

This is unfortunate that our natural water streams, tributaries, and rivers flowing in the region are major receivers of contaminated water and other environmental pollution.  

Is the State Department working to protect the environment?

In 2005, a project was launched worth millions of rupees to address the environmental issue but today neither that project is operational nor any new project could be launched to protect the people and the regional environment from pollution and its hazardous impacts, Safdar Hussain lamented.

Mahmood Aslam while lamenting the failure of EPA, WASA, and TAM said the broken chain between the concerned departments was the major contributor to environmental pollution in the region.

Asked about the environmental laws, Aslam said it is not a matter of the jurisdiction and laws but a lack of motivation and sense of responsibility of the employees of the concerned departments and agencies.

The laws don’t restrict the departments to jurisdiction but protection of the natural environment, adding that bribes in the forms of gifts to the managers of the relevant departments are a contributing factor in damaging the environment, Aslam maintained.   

Recalling the history, environmentalist Aslam said the environmental issue is not a new phenomenon in the region, however, during British rule, the tap system was introduced to control water pollution, which was causing health issues to people.

They remained successful in protecting human lives by introducing biodegradable items for household usage and tap systems to prevent wells from water pollution, Mahmoob Aslam added.

Aslam added that Naran has been declared an environmentally sensitive area and taking a no-objection certificate (NOC) from EPA for any kind of construction is compulsory, however, illegal constructions in the region are continuing to damage the natural environment. Failure of MS and EPA is the main factor behind growing viral diseases in the northern region, Aslam lamented.

This correspondent made calls and dropped messages to the TMA Mansehra to get their feedback, but neither they picked up calls nor responded to the messages.

The Northern Region

 Hazara division is one of the seven administrative divisions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, comprising eight districts, located in the northern part of Pakistan, which is famous for its natural streams, lush green valleys, and sky-high mountains.

The division is home to a diverse population of over 8 million people, including Hinadko, Gojri, Pashto, and Sheena or Kohistani-speaking communities as well as Kashmiris, Afghan migrants, and other ethnic groups.

One of the most pressing issues facing the division is climate change and its implication for human health and the ecosystem. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, over 40% of the population in the Hazara division lives below the poverty line, with many struggling to access basic necessities such as hygienic food, clean drinking water, and a basic healthcare system. According to a CBC news report, a single diaper takes between 250 and 500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose.

The senior management of TMO Mansehra was contacted to get their feedback but neither they picked calls nor responded messages.