Pakistan’s plastic industry is thriving at an average annual growth rate of 15 per cent with a total estimated production capacity of 624,200 metric tons per annum, which has greatly polluted the Indus River, which is currently the second largest river in the world in terms of plastic pollution.
This was said by Shahzeen Pervaiz of the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) during a seminar held at Karachi University’s (KU) Arts Auditorium. The event had been organised by the KU Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation to discuss solutions for the plastic pollution.
The speakers included Shahzeen, KU Department of Food Science and Technology Assistant Prof Dr Anjum Nawab, KU ORIC Director Prof Dr Alyia Rehman, KU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, Sindh Madressatual Islam University’s Department of Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Dr Hina Shehnaz and others.
Shahzeen said almost eight million tons of plastic enters the oceans globally, which means it accounts for 60 to 80 per cent of marine garbage. “Indus River is the second most polluted river with plastic in the world while first, third and the fourth polluted rivers belong to China, and the Nile River in Africa is fifth in this list.”
Dr Nawab said the effects of plastic on marine life include entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris by marine vertebrates. Over a million sea birds and mammals die annually from the ingestion of plastic which is taken mistakenly for food by birds, turtles, seals, and whales and it chokes them, poisons them or impedes digestion causing starvation, she said.
She added that toxic chemicals in plastic cause neurological problems, cancer, birth defects, hormonal changes, gastric ulcer, thyroid problems and cardiovascular diseases.
Biodegradable plastic can be completely broken down by microbes in a reasonable time frame if specific conditions are met and thermal biodegradable plastic is safe to use for foods because it is non-toxic and can often be recycled, she said.
Dr Shehnaz said no material is more commonly used than plastic in our everyday lives and it is easy to classify everything as plastic but there are seven different types of plastic available in the world.
She mentioned that effects upon wildlife that come from eating, or becoming entangled in plastic debris have recently been reported more widely and more often than ever before, leading to public outcry and protests.
Dr Iraqi said that plastic has become one of the major sources of pollution and is ruining lives on the earth and in the seas. He urged every person of society to play a positive role in reducing the use of harmful plastics to zero and adopt alternative resources in this regard. Public should cooperate with official bodies and governments to promote the culture of use of plastic substitutes, he said.
Dr Alyia said the use of algae in different walks of life is gaining importance throughout the world. She narrated that algae are a source of naturally occurring compounds which are essential for the human body.
She said that use of algae in the energy sector has proven to be very valuable where it is being used for the production of biofuels, which is an alternative to the declining supplies of oils and petroleum.
She added that the farming of seaweed has expanded rapidly as demand has outstripped the supply available from natural resources. Commercial harvesting occurs in about 35 countries, spread between the northern and southern hemispheres. She stressed the need for utilising the seaweed of our coasts.
The speakers also paid rich tributes to Prof Dr Mustafa Shameel, in whose memory the event was held. They recalled him as an excellent teacher and researcher, and a wonderful and caring human.
The speakers observed that Dr Shameel was a person who shaped the lives of many professionals, and helped others achieve their goals. His sudden and untimely demise left a vacuum, they said.
The speakers informed the seminar that it was Dr Shameel’s dream to promote the importance of algae, and to bring together experts from across the country by holding seminars and workshops on algae.