ISLAMABAD: The Indus river carries about 10,000 tonnes of macro-plastic into the Arabian Sea every year, according to a World Bank survey made available on Saturday.
The survey, titled ‘Plastic Waste: A Journey down the Indus River Basin in Pakistan’, is the first of its kind field study to measure the amount of waste, especially plastic, leaking into the river along the Indus river basin. Arrangement
It warned that the perennial presence of plastic waste in the Indus and its tributaries is a recent addition to the list of already widespread threats to water quality, ecological health and environmental sustainability in Pakistan.
Nine sample sites were selected for the study based on a number of criteria, including geographic location, river-dependent population, tourism or industrial activity, and cross-border importance. Sites were selected on the river’s tributaries as well as the Indus, which covered the entire river basin.
The field survey was conducted at nine locations spread over 2,032 km along the Indus River and its tributaries.
This indicates that a proportion of the plastic waste generated over the barrages is probably discharged into canals when irrigation water is drawn from the barrages. It said the Indus is not the only source of plastic litter pollution in the Arabian Sea. The Malir and Lyari rivers passing through the city of Karachi and flowing into the Arabian Sea also carried significant macro-plastic loads from the coast to the sea.
Green waste, which is not considered a significant pollutant despite having the second largest waste content, accounts for 25 percent of the total solid waste collected during the survey, and is the second largest waste content found in the study.
Textile waste is the third most important waste type, which also contributes to plastic pollution in the Indus river system. Sixty percent of the apparel fibers consumed globally are synthetic in nature, consisting of plastic polymers such as nylon, acrylic, polyester and polyamide.
The textile industry is the fourth largest consumer of plastic in Pakistan, consuming 280,000 tonnes of plastic annually. The textile industry is also responsible for 13 percent of the plastic waste generated in the country.
The survey found that the proportion of high-value recyclables such as metal, glass, paper and cardboard is low.
Published in Dawn, June 5, 2022