Polythene bags equally pollute the land, air, sea and water resources
KARACHI: In one way or the other, polythene bags are a major pollutant damaging our environment. While purchasing groceries, or even for many of other daily activities these bags are in common use. However, the convenience of these polythene bags comes at the high cost of environmental degradation and a negative impact on human health.
Polythene bags equally pollute the land, air, sea and water resources. These are harmful for marine species, wildlife and even for birds in some cases. Moreover, despite warnings in small print which reads ‘Keep away from children’, child death cases have been reported because of them. Most importantly, the bags are non-degradable and hence do not decompose into the soil.
Globally, several countries have already banned the use of polythene bags. Bangladesh and India are a few to name. Even in Pakistan, some years back, the government had issued directives for the use of plastic bags of a minimum thickness of 30 microns, yet plastic bags of thickness less than the minimum required are still being widely used particularly by street vendors.
The government must take action against violators and ensure that its directives are being strictly followed.
Anshara Zaheer
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2018.
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