The Earth is our home. It provides us with sustenance and the tools of survival. Early human live on wild fruits and the raw meat of birds and animals, quenching their thirst from the first brook or stream they came across. Their live were not much different from the other animals. Today, human beings are involved in large-scale farming and the domestication of animals, building factories and flying aeroplanes. They are even conquering space and unravelling the secrets of nuclear energy. Human achievement is the result of high technical competence gained from exploring and exploiting the physical environment.
However, human progress has its pitfalls. In our zest to make use of natural resources, we have polluted both water and air, causing smog and acid rain, and the depletion of the earth's protective covering, the ozone layer. We still have not been able to safely dispose of nuclear waste nor prevent large-scale nuclear leaks. In recent years, the huge rise in population has led to fears that we will run out the natural resources essential for human survival.
Unfortunately, not all countries have an equal share in natural resources and technology. Pakistan has modest resources and limited access to technology. Technology alone does not guarantee the efficient exploitation of natural resources. Equally important are political stability and peace, social justice and harmony, well defined economic goals and a willingness to work. Well defined economic goals do not exist with frequent changes in government policy regarding privatization and nationalization. It is in this context that the human environment relationship in Pakistan should be examined.
Although Pakistan is fairly rich in natural resources. Its physiography is fraught with challenges. The flat Indus Plains are excellent for agriculture but the lofty mountains in the north are unfit for cultivation of any kind. In terms of temperature, most parts of the country enjoy a year long growing season but arid conditions affect agricultural outputs. Large tracts of land are covered with rich alluvial soil but it is often deficient in organic matter. Plant cover in Pakistan is scarce, leaving the soil open to wind and water erosion. Where there are forests, they are often inaccessible.
Efforts are being made to face the pressing environmental challenges. Sometimes, in an effort to solve these problems, new problems have arisen. Canal irrigation, which was developed to combat the problem of aridity, has created waterlogging and salinity in large tracts of cultivated land. Insecticides and pesticides sprayed on crops have, at times, contaminated the soil. Smoke emitted from factory chimneys, automobiles and other vehicles has polluted the air in industrial areas and large cities. Industrial refuse, particularly the chemicals, drained from factories into rivers and coastal water, has contaminated the water in karachi and other industrial centres.
The environmental problems in Pakistan can be said to originated from three sources.
However, human progress has its pitfalls. In our zest to make use of natural resources, we have polluted both water and air, causing smog and acid rain, and the depletion of the earth's protective covering, the ozone layer. We still have not been able to safely dispose of nuclear waste nor prevent large-scale nuclear leaks. In recent years, the huge rise in population has led to fears that we will run out the natural resources essential for human survival.
Unfortunately, not all countries have an equal share in natural resources and technology. Pakistan has modest resources and limited access to technology. Technology alone does not guarantee the efficient exploitation of natural resources. Equally important are political stability and peace, social justice and harmony, well defined economic goals and a willingness to work. Well defined economic goals do not exist with frequent changes in government policy regarding privatization and nationalization. It is in this context that the human environment relationship in Pakistan should be examined.
Although Pakistan is fairly rich in natural resources. Its physiography is fraught with challenges. The flat Indus Plains are excellent for agriculture but the lofty mountains in the north are unfit for cultivation of any kind. In terms of temperature, most parts of the country enjoy a year long growing season but arid conditions affect agricultural outputs. Large tracts of land are covered with rich alluvial soil but it is often deficient in organic matter. Plant cover in Pakistan is scarce, leaving the soil open to wind and water erosion. Where there are forests, they are often inaccessible.
Efforts are being made to face the pressing environmental challenges. Sometimes, in an effort to solve these problems, new problems have arisen. Canal irrigation, which was developed to combat the problem of aridity, has created waterlogging and salinity in large tracts of cultivated land. Insecticides and pesticides sprayed on crops have, at times, contaminated the soil. Smoke emitted from factory chimneys, automobiles and other vehicles has polluted the air in industrial areas and large cities. Industrial refuse, particularly the chemicals, drained from factories into rivers and coastal water, has contaminated the water in karachi and other industrial centres.
The environmental problems in Pakistan can be said to originated from three sources.
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