Dire need to preserve ecosystem

Though the human activities like industrialization, economic activities, real estate or fast-paced urbanization in Pakistan are expanding, no matter if they go on sans any rules or codes, yet their implications on environment, wildlife, ecosystem of plants, natural habitats, animal species are shockingly beyond estimates. Massive migration of precious plants, rare species of animals as well as birds from their environmentally suitable places to unfriendly or non-conducive regions, of course, impacts negatively on their natural behaviours. Latest studies done on Pakistan unveil shocking statistics. According to them, the continual unplanned urbanization on agriculture lands, industrialization without making environmental impact assessment, deforestation, floods and subsequent land erosions have emerged as the potential factors behind massive loss to environment, evaporation of clean drinking water, wastage of irrigation water, outbreak of human, animal as well as crop diseases. Climate change impacts especially on wildlife may include disturbances that drive changes in wildlife habitat like variation in vegetation community composition or other ecosystem components, as well as pest outbreaks. Various world researches suggest that plant communities are shifting toward the poles, upward in elevation, and blooming earlier in the season, any of which will likely to affect the wildlife that depends on them. Similarly, there are potent chances that continued warming trends can result in beetle population being great enough to infect trees. In Pakistan, urbanization or industrialization is, no doubt, a positive trend as it triggers economic activities and stability, yet all such operations must be driven under some codes, rules and regulations as is done in the environment-conscious nations. Presently, hardly any environment impact assessment is done before launching any urbanization or industrial project, which obviously contributes towards environmental degradation, massive migration or extinction of rare species as well as plants entirely changing their natural characteristics. A study done by the World Bank shows, the environmental degradation in Pakistan is inflicting about Rs 365 billion accumulative losses annually. In fact, it is a chain of problems that stem from the non-existing environment laws. The untreated disposal of industrial chemicals waste is dangerously high as practically these wastes are released to the nullahs or channels of irrigation water. Consequently, this contaminated water not only affects the ecosystem of local plant species and animals but also damage the crops quality in terms of pest diseases or decline in yields. And in some case, this contaminated water falls into sea which, too, is dangerous for marine life. The authorities need to come forward and take tangible steps to ensure effective implementation of relevant rules and regulations.