JAVED KHAN
As the world prepares to observe Environment Day today Jun 5, it is a timely moment to reflect on the role of provincial governments—particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)—in addressing the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
While the KP government holds the authority to enact environmental laws and policies, its role has remained largely limited to legislative measures, with little effective implementation on the ground. This shortfall becomes especially concerning as the impacts of climate change continue to threaten both living and non-living elements of our environment—air, water, land, wildlife, and human health.
This year, World Environment Day is focused on the global effort to eliminate plastic pollution—a growing environmental crisis affecting ecosystems and public health.
The World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environmental celebrations. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it has been held annually since Stockholm Convention 1972.
Over the year, it has grown into the largest global platform for environmental outreach, celebrated by millions of people across the world.
This year, the Republic of Korea will host World Environment Day 2025 with a global focus on ending plastic pollution.
Elimination plastic pollution is a vital step toward achieving Sustainable Development, Sustainable Production and consumption, protection of fresh waters and oceans and repairing ecosystems and retaining biodiversity.
Yet, despite the urgency of the issue, the KP government has neither a comprehensive policy nor an actionable plan to combat plastic pollution across the province.
The absence of clear strategy, enforcement mechanisms, or public awareness initiatives underscores a troubling gap between environmental commitments and real-world action.
In KP, the issue of plastic pollution remains largely absent from the government’s list of priorities. Despite the growing environmental and health risks, no concrete strategy has yet been formulated to address the pollution caused by plastic waste.
With a significant portion of the province’s waste comprising plastic, the need for reliable data and immediate measures to reduce dependency on plastic products has become more urgent than ever.
The provincial government must take pragmatic steps to regulate and phase out the production of non-biodegradable plastic bags by local manufacturing units. Strict enforcement is also needed to control their widespread use in markets across the province.
In parallel, recycling infrastructure should be expanded, including the availability of modern machinery for processing plastic waste. Additionally, the production and distribution of environmentally friendly alternatives must be actively promoted and closely supervised. The elimination of plastic pollution is not just an environmental necessity—it is a crucial step toward achieving sustainable development and protecting the health of ecosystems and communities alike.
As mentioned earlier, a major portion of the waste generated in KP consists of plastic.
According to the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP), the city of Peshawar alone produces approximately 500 tons of waste daily, with an estimated 1.6 million tons already accumulated at various dumping sites across the city. This alarming figure reflects the scale of the crisis.
Other major urban centers in the province—including Mardan, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, and others—are likely facing similar waste management challenges.
According to credible data, Pakistan generates approximately 4.96 million tons of plastic waste annually, with a daily average ranging between 48,000 to 56,000 tons.
Credible statistics reveal that Pakistan generates approximately 4.96 million tons of waste annually, with a daily average ranging from 48,000 to 56,000 tons.
This growing burden of plastic pollution is placing immense pressure on the environment across the country—particularly in KP, which remains one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change. The unchecked spread of plastic waste is not only defacing the natural beauty of the province but also threatening its rich biodiversity and fragile environmental resources.
As the situation worsens, it is imperative for the provincial government to introduce a pragmatic and comprehensive action plan in its upcoming budget. Concrete initiatives
must be launched to curb the menace of plastic pollution before irreversible damage is done to the province’s ecosystem and public health.
