ISLAMABAD: There was a time when Karachi Municipal Corporation used to be the strongest institution in the city, but now burning of huge piles of garbage in hundreds of localities every morning, emitting toxic gases and polluting environment, has caused immense ecological degradation.

This was stated by judges of the Supreme Court which had taken up a case relating to pollution and environmental degradation in the country on Wednesday.

“Should the Supreme Court intervene all the time to keep the metropolitan city of Karachi clean,” asked Justice Ejaz Afzal, a member of a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

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The resentment was expressed when Additional Advocate General of Sindh Shaharyar Qazi submitted a report on behalf of the provincial government stating that a number of industrial units functioning in Karachi’s site area had been put on notice for contributing to pollution. The report said that a number of schemes were being launched for water treatment and waste management.

The chief justice praised the articulated presentation through bulky file work by the provincial government, but said this signified nothing because environmental pollution had reached its pinnacle. There are many factories in certain cities where the environment around them has extensively deteriorated.

“Until it suits them the government turns a blind eye towards big fish,” the chief justice observed.

About the performance of environmental tribunals, he asked how many offenders had been penalised for their role in environmental degradation.

“You should be grateful to God that you are not living in Karachi,” the chief justice said while pointing to the provincial law officer.

“Who will take interest in cleaning the city is the real question,” Justice Afzal said, adding that an army of employees in the departments concerned is drawing monthly salary, but sitting idle.

Citing his personal experience, he said he had gone to a place in Karachi where standing for a while was the real test of patience because of putrefied stench. Should the judges themselves go and monitor the working of institutions, he said.

Leave Karachi aside, it was difficult to understand how people in towns like Talhar, Matiari or Tando Adam Khan lived, the chief justice said, adding that the new phenomenon of ghost employees had added to the woes of citizens. Should the court become oblivious of bad governance and leave people at the government’s mercy, the bench lamented.

Justice Mushir Alam recalled that the Sindh government had come up with initiatives relating to water and waste treatment schemes some time in 1992, but these were yet to be translated into reality.

Additional Advocate General of Punjab Razzaq A. Mirza informed the court that the provincial governments had appointed 36 magistrates to penalise the people found guilty of polluting the environment and an amount of Rs139 million had been allocated for dealing with environmental degradation. But he conceded that only one environment tribunal was working in Punjab.

“Why don’t we aspire to seek pleasure from the sparkling water flow of the River Ravi or clean environ around us,” wondered Justice Afzal. He regretted that the situation had become so bad that no-one could cross the Ravi Bridge without covering his nose. Natural streams in Islamabad have also been polluted.

Waqar Bilour, law officer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, informed the court that the provincial government had launched a ‘billion tsunami tree’ campaign to plant saplings, besides installing sewerage lines along different nullah in Peshawar.

But the court asked what would happen if the sewerage lines started leaking and mixed with fresh water. It was not pleased when told that the eventual outlet of sewerage lines would be rivers. The court regretted that the governments had failed to fulfil their promise to clean the environment and said the action in this regard should speak louder than words.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2015