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the saddest part is that the all the food we waste globally is sufficient to feed all those battling hunger around the world photo twitter junaidakram83
The saddest part is that the all the food we waste globally is sufficient to feed all those battling hunger around the world. PHOTO: TWITTER/ JUNAIDAKRAM83

Is #ZayaNaKaro enough to bring Pakistan’s conscience back to life and end wastage?

While countless go to bed on empty stomachs or rely on food from dumpsters, the privileged take part in a food frenzy.
Rahat Kamal June 05, 2018
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Though austerity is deep-rooted in the very fabric of our religion as Muslims, it’s ironic that a vast majority of Pakistanis seem oblivious to the notion. While on the quest of satisfying our whims, many of us have picked up the bad habit of squandering.

Whether it is food, water, electricity or any other resource, we take their presence in our life for granted and use and abuse them as we please. This behaviour causes us to waste crucial resources that are already low for a significant number of people in the country. We have grown immune to the plight of those deprived of these basic needs, and are callously wasting the essential necessities of life.

Provoked by such behaviour and the mindset that the privileged can waste every resource they are getting in abundance, scores of people have recently started taking to Twitter with #ZayaNaKaro (don’t waste). They are vouching to make an effort to try and prevent wastage, and are urging others to join the bandwagon. From pictures of plates full of wasted food, felled trees, malnourished children to dry faucets, all are being shared under this hashtag on social media.

People have started sharing their two cents by raising awareness and exchanging ideas on how to cut down wastage. Celebrities such as Junaid Akram, Anwar Maqsood, Adnan Malik, Syed Iqrarul Hassan, Ali Gul Pir and others have united to provoke people to do their bit in getting a grip of how bad the situation really is.







According to the Global Hunger Index (2016) Pakistan is at a serious hunger level, with 43% of the citizens being food insecure, and 18% facing severe shortage. This still doesn’t deter us from wasting food, which amounts to 36 million tons every year. The saddest part is that all the food we waste globally is sufficient to feed all those battling hunger around the world.



https://twitter.com/TheGrumpyDoctor/status/1003042063150190592

Another irony the tweets indicate is that food wastage increases exponentially during Ramazan. According to a study by the Islamabad Devcom Leo Club, Pakistanis waste more food in Ramazan than they do in any other month. While countless go to bed on empty stomachs or rely on scavenging for food in dumpsters, the privileged are seen taking part in a food frenzy. The culture of buffets is the backbone of this trend, and most of the food is wasted due to plates full of uneaten discarded food. This gluttony and ruthless wastage of food goes against our religion and the sanctity of this month, and needs to be stopped immediately.



Do you think the residents of Cape Town knew their city would be the first major city in the world to run out of water? That they would actually be living the nightmare of having little to no water? What was once a distant threat is now the reality they are combating on a daily basis.

Pakistan is not that far behind; it is third amongst countries facing a water shortage. According to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), two major water reservoirs of the country – Tarbela Dam and Mangla Dam – are likely to have reached the dead level already. Yet we might still waste water worth Rs25 billion, which the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) says we waste every year.





Furthermore, the conservation of electricity is another one of the subjects of the tweets. Electricity is the driving force behind development; subsequently, its wastage has dire effects on the economy. Other than that, with rising temperatures, it is has become a basic need for all. Yet this valuable resource is another resource we are wasting.

https://twitter.com/Rabihina/status/1000665271974187009

According to a survey carried out by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan, six in 10 Pakistanis (63%) are bothered when they see the wastage of electricity. It may seem like a good figure, but considering how densely populated the country is, there is a massive chunk of the population that needs to be awakened from its ignorant state and coaxed to be mindful about their electricity usage habits.



A study by the Research and Advocacy for the Advancement of Allied Reforms (RAFTAAR) indicates that around 25% of all power is wasted by households due to the careless usage of electricity, UPS, and inefficient appliances. This increases our responsibility as individuals to curtail our habits, and shows the instantaneous effect our efforts can have on preserving electricity.

It is due time we start acting and stop turning a blind eye to the issue; after all, the danger of these resources running out is very real and close to home. We cannot shrug at the plight of those suffering, saying there is nothing we can do. Through our actions we are digging the hole of our own despair even faster. We need to snap out of our state of inadvertence, take responsibility of our actions, and act. Otherwise, the situation will be something like what Martin Niemöller depicted in his poem,
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.

So speak up, take action, and share what you are doing to take the movement of #ZayaNaKaro forward.
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WRITTEN BY:
Rahat Kamal The author is an independent writer and editor, who loves to share stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. She is an ardent lover of nature and a supporter of conservation. She tweets @rahat_kamal (https://twitter.com/rahat_kamal)
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (5)

Hanna Abbasi | 6 years ago | Reply I don't get Anglo Pakistanis at all. "I'm so mad...I'm going to write a blog in English so nobody in Pakistan understands me". Yeah that'll really work. If you're upset about something in our country, why not write in in a language most of us can understand so the message is actually understood? English is not even our second language...it's mostly our third language after mother tongue and Urdu. It simply baffles my mind why Anglo Pakistanis keep whining about problems on English blog sites like this, and then get upset when nobody understands them. Hiliarious to say the least.
Patwari | 6 years ago That's one way of putting it. And to an extent, you can say the message would not reach millions, IF, [there is a big 'IF' here] they could read and write. Not to mention that, will they even buy a newspaper? Print media, newspaper subscriptions, are falling all over the world. Nobody buys newspapers. They get their news from their phones, ipads, ePapers, TV. Current literacy rate in Pakland, if you Google, is 58%. Down from 60%. At least the author of the blog got a very important message out. To English readers. Say, numbered in the thousands. Maybe more. If each of these English readers simply act on not wasting, then she succeeded!! If these English readers, spread the message to 5 others, then she succeeded!! If these English readers practice 'no wastage' in their immediate family only, then she succeeded!! This can go on for 5 pages. This is how you start an awareness campaign. Besides, English is the lingua franca of the World. Even a Somali can read this. No need to get riled up, and take your slanted frustrations out on a blogger. She did good. Perhaps YOU can write and pass this on in Gujrati? Dogri? Seraiki?Malvi? Haryanvi? Be positive. Look at things in a positive way. It will do wonders for you.
Parvez | 6 years ago | Reply Correctly said .... I think each person must do his / her share to avoid waste. I started with teaching my children not to waste and although I hope they will teach my grandchildren the same, I don't take chances, I take every opportunity to teach them as well. The fact that the privileged tend to waste as a show of their privileged status is simply sad....but what is reprehensible is when they waste knowing that they have taken from the poor that what rightly should belong to the poor.....and then proceed to waste it and I don't just mean food but much else as well.
Patwari | 6 years ago Good to know you are teaching your progeny conservation. Kudos to you. See, it's like this, when it comes to water. Pakland has a growing crisis, of extreme water shortage. Which will turn into a mega, mega pain, in the future. Due to Climate Change/Global Warming. For YOUR fair and beautiful city, Karachi. water is a commodity, like oil, silver,... Here is an example,...there used to be a big Hub Reservoir/Lake, made by the Hub Dam. To supply Karachi with water. It used to stay full. Now it's bone dry. with just a slush/trickle rotting away at the bottom. So, what happened? Water diverted from feeder canals to Baharia Town/City. On your National Highway. Water theft of huge proportions by the Karachi Water Mafia. Karachi Municipal Corp. Karachi Development Authority, Mayor's Office, the CM's Office, Sindh Govt. and it goes up to the Marquis of Paris, aka, Dubai villa-wala. He and Baby Bhutto own Sindh. You want water? You buy it from them. In 2008 the Water Mafia, et all were making $7 million a day!! Imagine what it is now!! More profitable to sell water by tankers, than to supply it to citizens. Courtesy of your very very corrupt politicians. World class corruption. They all have houses in Dubai. After all, you all voted for them. You can also vote them out. Things will change. Say, in the near future YOU will be taking ONE SHOWER A MONTH. Because you will need the water to cook and drink and to make your daily cuppa tea. Well, there is always the ocean nearby,....for showers and washing clothes.
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