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Pollution

As industry has expanded, factories have emitted more and more toxic effluents into the air. Number of vehicles have reached up to saturation level in all the cities of all the countries in the world. Also, as in other developing countries, the number of vehicles in Pakistan has swelled in recent years--from 680,000 in 1980 to 5 million in 2003.  Conservation Strategy Report claims that the average vehicle in the third world countries emits 25 times as much carbon dioxide as the average U.S. vehicle, as well as 20 times as many hydrocarbons and more than 3.5 times as many nitrous oxides in grams per kilometer.

Many environmentalists say that poor fuel quality is also to blame for a country's serious air pollution problems. Fuel consumption rose four fold and gasoline continues to contain high levels of lead and sulfur.

The government's 1995 Clean Fuel Initiative was largely ineffective, and now authorities are looking at the possibility of using alternative fuels for vehicles. As of 2001, 200,000 cars were fitted to use compressed natural gas (CNG) which pollutes less than gasoline. The government has also set up 150 CNG fueling stations around the country, and is looking into converting diesel vehicles to CNG as well. Pakistan has investigated converting rickshaws to CNG through a pilot project with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Preliminary results suggest that converting rickshaws to CNG would bring considerable cost-savings for rickshaw owners and environmental benefits throughout Pakistan. Unfortunately, outside funding would be required to expand the program as the capital investment to convert rickshaws to CNG is beyond the reach of most rickshaw owners.

Air Pollution

The level of air pollution in Pakistan's two largest cities, Karachi and Lahore, is estimated to be 20 times higher than World Health Organization standards, and continuing to rise. Islamabad, the capital, is perpetually smothered by a thick cloud of smog that hides views of the Margalla Hills that tower over the city's tree-lined streets.

As industry has expanded, factories have emitted more and more toxic effluents into the air. Also, as in other developing countries, the number of vehicles in Pakistan has swelled in recent years--from 680,000 in 1980 to 5 million in 2003. The 1992 National Conservation Strategy Report claims that the average Pakistani vehicle emits 25 times as much carbon dioxide as the average U.S. vehicle, as well as 20 times as many hydrocarbons and more than 3.5 times as many nitrous oxides in grams per kilometer.

Cars are the leading source of air pollution that adversely affects Pakistan's economy and population. Economic damages from urban air pollution are estimated at about $370 million, with 6.4 million people hospitalized annually for air-pollution-related illnesses. A recent advertisement placed by the government in a newspaper warned, "Take care of your tune-ups before the poison in the air takes care of you."

Many Pakistani environmentalists say that poor fuel quality is also to blame for the country's serious air pollution problems. Fuel consumption rose by 188% in Pakistan from 1980 to 1998, and gasoline continues to contain high levels of lead and sulfur. Unleaded gasoline was introduced in 2001, but many vehicles in Pakistan's major cities still use leaded gasoline. Various grades of gasoline sold contain about 350 mg/liter of lead--in comparison, leaded gasoline in other countries usually contains no more than 150 mg/liter. Dr. Asif Qayyum Qureshi, a research fellow at SDPI, claimed that the problem of air pollution largely could be solved if the government were to tighten its lax fuel quality standards.

The government's 1995 Clean Fuel Initiative was largely ineffective, and now authorities are looking at the possibility of using alternative fuels for vehicles. As of 2001, 200,000 cars were fitted to use compressed natural gas (CNG) which pollutes less than gasoline. The government has also set up 150 CNG fueling stations around the country, and is looking into converting diesel vehicles to CNG as well. Pakistan has investigated converting rickshaws to CNG through a pilot project with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Preliminary results suggest that converting rickshaws to CNG would bring considerable cost-savings for rickshaw owners and environmental benefits throughout Pakistan. Unfortunately, outside funding would be required to expand the program as the capital investment to convert rickshaws to CNG is beyond the reach of most rickshaw owners.