Industrial Pollution

The major industrial sectors in Pakistan are textile, metal, dying chemicals, pesticides, cement, petrochemical, energy and power, leather, sugar processing, construction, steel, engineering, pulp, paper, tanning, food processing, beverages, electronic consumer goods and mining. The typical hazards related to industry are noise, vibrations, green house effect, radiation, chemicals, electromagnetic radiation and microbiological and social problems like stress and fatigue.

Chemical Fertilisers & Pesticides

The pesticide business started in Pakistan in 1954 with the import of 254 metric tonnes of formulated product, increasing to 20,648 metric tonnes in 1986-87 and 44, 872 tonnes in 1998. More than 70-80% of pesticides used in this country are being used on cotton crops. In 1997-98, pesticides were used on 93.9% of the total cropped area of cotton, 86.9% of sugar cane, 70% of rice paddy, and 14.5% of fruit and vegetables. Use of pesticides is increasing at the rate of 25% a year.

Environmental Legislation

At independence, Pakistan inherited a number of laws from the colonial period that were converted to environmental provisions. The constitution of 1973 mentions environmental objectives in the preamble, but no specific law was drafted at that time.