ISLAMABAD (Feb 12) – Role of social responsibility, enhanced sensitization and awareness are vital to elimination of the use of polythene bag, which has emerged to be a grave environmental nuisance, say government officials and environmental experts.
“However unless people show responsibility towards environmental protection from degradation through various means, no efforts aimed for tackling environmental degradation in our society,” said Syed Mujtaba Hussain, Joint Secretary of the Climate Change Ministry.
While addressing a public awareness rally attended by students and academia held here on Friday at the International Islamic University, he highlighted that widespread use of polythene bags has deepened the country’s burden of the environmental degradation, which has worsened state of the public health.
He elaborated that plastic bags are a key source of plastic pollution, which is also a serious environmental problem. “As they are non-biodegradable, they take years to decompose. They contribute to a lot of waste which keeps collecting over the years. Plastic takes thousands of years to break down and decompose. It remains in the land which contributes to the rising problem of land pollution,” Mujtaba Hussain said,
He said further that it also leads to water pollution. “As people throw away the bags carelessly on the roads, in the drains and rivers, they enter the water bodies. They are carried away by winds in them and sometimes dumped into water deliberately. This plastic bag goes deep in the water and also hampers the aquatic life,” the climate change ministry official stated.
Now, the government was rolling up its sleeves to take a drastic first measures toward eliminating this public eyesore and environmental hazard. Beginning again this year from March 1, use of all single-use polyethylene bags at any level would be fined in the capital region of about 1.5 million people.
“Anyone who uses, sells or manufactures them will face a fine,” the climate change ministry official warned, who is leading the implementation of ban on polythene bag.
He said that from the next month now one would be allowed to use, sell and manufacture single-use plastic bag at any level. Those who found using, selling and manufacturing of the plastic bags, would be liable to fines at the initial stage, the climate change ministry joint secretary Syed Mujtaba Hussain.
The ban is very much a part of the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan for Clean Green Pakistan.
He also he apprised the rally participants that to motivate people to obey the law against use, sell and manufacturing of the single-use plastic bags, colorful cloth tote bags,
The bags have been also introduced and promoted the bags on social media, accompanied by catchy slogans and images of trash heaps on fire and birds caught in plastic bags.
The climate change ministry official said that, “We do not want to bring change regarding use of polythene bags through force. Instead we believe that our slight change in habits will do wonders for future generations as a part of achieving sustainable development goals,” said the climate change ministry official.
He pointed out that the shopkeepers and customers alike had been warned to avoid using plastic bags before March 1, In case of violation, he said an individual would be fined Rs5,000, a manufacturer Rs1,00,000 and a shopkeeper Rs10,000.
He also warned the rally participants that a polythene bag with D2W stamp was being sold in the market as a permissible one but it was actually a fraud and against the law.
Chairman of the department of the Environmental Sciences at the University, Dr Muhamnmad Irfan Khan spoke on the role of students and teachers of the educational institutes.
“You play a very important role and have the power to minimise plastic pollution. You can start today by reflecting on the plastic you use in your everyday life,” He urged the students and teachers of the university while addressing the rally.
Ask yourself, is this plastic safe or harmful plastic? If it is not a harmful plastic type, is it one-time use plastic item? These questions and the science-based knowledge will help you to reduce unnecessary plastic pollution, he said during his address.
Later, the climate change ministry officials also distributed biodegradable, reusable and recyclable bags among the participants of the rally, which passed through different parts of the International Islamic University Islamabad.