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Maritime Pollution in Pakistan and Its Impact on Marine Life: Challenges and Way Forward

Received: 7 July 2024     Accepted: 31 July 2024     Published: 20 August 2024
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Abstract

Marine pollution is a major threat to marine biodiversity, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions of coastal communities in Pakistan. Driven by industrial, agricultural and plastic pollution, mounting levels of marine pollution are largely resulting in habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and difficulties in conduct of subsistence activities. Lack of waste management system and public awareness further compound the problem. The present study gives a comprehensive analysis of marine pollution, its sources, types and mechanism as well as the damage is does to marine environment. The study also examines existing domestic and international legislation on marine pollution eradication and puts forth recommendations in the form of both short and long terms measures for pollution mitigation in Pakistan. The study also emphasizes the need to sensitize public attention on this pressing issue and advocates awareness campaigns regarding oil spill response preparedness, investment in resilient infrastructure and plastic pollution eradication initiatives. Long term measures stem from analysis of several case studies of island countries. These measures include protection of critical infrastructure, ecosystem conservation as well as increased research and development. Effective implementation of these measures can help Pakistan transition into a sustainable and secure future.

Published in Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science (Volume 13, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13
Page(s) 84-93
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Marine Pollution, Pakistan, Karachi Harbour, Industrial Waste, Agricultural Pollutants, Plastic Pollution, Subsistence Activities, International Legislation, Long Term Measures

References
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[3] Idrees, Mohammad, Yasmin Nergis, and Muhammad Irfan. “Industrial Emission Monitoring and Assessment of Air Quality in Karachi Coastal City, Pakistan.” Atmosphere 14, no. 10 (September 30, 2023): 1515.
[4] Ahmad I, Aslam S, Hussain U. Assessment of plastic pollution in coastal areas of Karachi: Case study of West Warf, Kemari Jetty, and Manora. Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Oct; 195: 115501.
[5] An overview of pollution dynamics along the Pakistan coast, February 4, 2024, Available at
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[11] Ebrahim, Z. (2020, December 16). A portrait of Karachi’s garbage crisis. Dialogue Earth. Available at
[12] “What’s in the Waste? Plastics Threaten Pakistan’s Mighty Indus,” World Bank Blogs, n. d.,
[13] Ousat, A. (2022, August 12). Wastewater causes a “manmade disaster” for Karachi’s Marine Life. Dialogue Earth. Available at
[14] “Plastic Waste,” WWF, Available at
[15] Duygu SAZLI et al., “A Comprehensive Review on Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Effects on Aquatic Biota,” Aquatic Sciences and Engineering, January 24, 2023,
[16] TASMAN SPIRIT, Pakistan, 2003, retrieved from
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[18] Pakistan waiting for rescue tugs as leakage feared from giant ship stuck off Karachi, retrieved from
[19] Industrial and Sewage Disposal Impacts Marine Life Pakistan,” ENVPK.COM - Best Environmental Website Of Pakistan, February 17, 2024,
[20] Pakistan introduces Digital Tools for Fisheries Data Collection. WWF. (n.d.). Available at
[21] Strauss, B. (2019, October 26). The Harelip Sucker, the galapagos damsel, and other vanished fish species. ThoughtCo. Available at
[22] Pakistan Navy War College, “Maritime Doctrine of Pakistan (MDP): Preserving Freedom of Seas,” Google Books, n.d.,
[23] Tribune (2021) Sweat, tears and the sea: The express tribune, International News, Latest News, Breaking News. Available at:
[24] “Marine and Coastal Resources Governance Seychelles,” Nairobi Convention, December 21, 2021, Available at
[25] Ehrlich, P. R., Vedeld, P. O., Saifullah, S. M., Oecd, Mirza, M. I., Siddiqui, M. N., Harrison, P. J., Siddiqui, P. J. A., Odum, W. E., Rodrguez, G., Robertson, A. I., Bermert, G., Rajkumar, R., Mollah, A. R., & Straub, J. O. (2008, January 25). Conservation and management of biodiversity in Pakistan through the establishment of Marine Protected Areas. Ocean & Coastal Management Available at
[26] Jattak, Z. U., Wu, W., Gao, J., Zhang, K., Murtaza, S. H., Jan, M., & Ahmed, A. (2023). Advancing the initiatives of Sustainable Coastal and marine areas development in Pakistan through Marine Spatial Planning. Science progress. Available at
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  • APA Style

    Sheikh, H. G., Hameed, G. (2024). Maritime Pollution in Pakistan and Its Impact on Marine Life: Challenges and Way Forward. Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science, 13(3), 84-93. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13

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    ACS Style

    Sheikh, H. G.; Hameed, G. Maritime Pollution in Pakistan and Its Impact on Marine Life: Challenges and Way Forward. J. Water Resour. Ocean Sci. 2024, 13(3), 84-93. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13

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    AMA Style

    Sheikh HG, Hameed G. Maritime Pollution in Pakistan and Its Impact on Marine Life: Challenges and Way Forward. J Water Resour Ocean Sci. 2024;13(3):84-93. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13,
      author = {Hamna Ghias Sheikh and Gul Hameed},
      title = {Maritime Pollution in Pakistan and Its Impact on Marine Life: Challenges and Way Forward
    },
      journal = {Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science},
      volume = {13},
      number = {3},
      pages = {84-93},
      doi = {10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wros.20241303.13},
      abstract = {Marine pollution is a major threat to marine biodiversity, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions of coastal communities in Pakistan. Driven by industrial, agricultural and plastic pollution, mounting levels of marine pollution are largely resulting in habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and difficulties in conduct of subsistence activities. Lack of waste management system and public awareness further compound the problem. The present study gives a comprehensive analysis of marine pollution, its sources, types and mechanism as well as the damage is does to marine environment. The study also examines existing domestic and international legislation on marine pollution eradication and puts forth recommendations in the form of both short and long terms measures for pollution mitigation in Pakistan. The study also emphasizes the need to sensitize public attention on this pressing issue and advocates awareness campaigns regarding oil spill response preparedness, investment in resilient infrastructure and plastic pollution eradication initiatives. Long term measures stem from analysis of several case studies of island countries. These measures include protection of critical infrastructure, ecosystem conservation as well as increased research and development. Effective implementation of these measures can help Pakistan transition into a sustainable and secure future.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    AU  - Hamna Ghias Sheikh
    AU  - Gul Hameed
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13
    T2  - Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science
    JF  - Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science
    JO  - Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20241303.13
    AB  - Marine pollution is a major threat to marine biodiversity, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions of coastal communities in Pakistan. Driven by industrial, agricultural and plastic pollution, mounting levels of marine pollution are largely resulting in habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and difficulties in conduct of subsistence activities. Lack of waste management system and public awareness further compound the problem. The present study gives a comprehensive analysis of marine pollution, its sources, types and mechanism as well as the damage is does to marine environment. The study also examines existing domestic and international legislation on marine pollution eradication and puts forth recommendations in the form of both short and long terms measures for pollution mitigation in Pakistan. The study also emphasizes the need to sensitize public attention on this pressing issue and advocates awareness campaigns regarding oil spill response preparedness, investment in resilient infrastructure and plastic pollution eradication initiatives. Long term measures stem from analysis of several case studies of island countries. These measures include protection of critical infrastructure, ecosystem conservation as well as increased research and development. Effective implementation of these measures can help Pakistan transition into a sustainable and secure future.
    
    VL  - 13
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