ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION OF QUETTA CITY,

PROBLEMS, SOLUTION AND TECHNIQUE.

by

Maryam Yousaf

(PhD Student)

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

(Department)

Submitted To: Dr. Imran Taj

Centre for Advanced Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology

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Overcrowding , pollutants and resources

Little paris

Introduction

Nowadays, air over major cities throughout the world has become overburdened with gases
produced by automobiles. The death rate due to automobile pollution is increasing rapidly in
the metropolitan areas.

With passage of time, people realized that polluted air has serious effects on their health,
climate and economics. Weather and climate have integrated impact on human activities
resulting in worldwide concentration of the particulates of environmental pollution, viz.,
chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, lead and several other dust
and gaseous particles. Like many other mega cities in the world the ambient air quality of
Quetta, Pakistan is also deteriorating nowadays. Automobile exhausts and certain industrial
pollutants produce O3 by photochemical reactions. The particulate matter, particularly less
than 10 μm in size, can pass through the natural protective mechanism of human respiratory
system and plays an important role in genesis and augmentation of allergic disorders. Sources
of air pollution in the area and the unique problem arising out of the emission from the
vehicles, industries, etc. have been described. Ambient air quality was monitored along with
micrometeorological data and the results are discussed. The status of air pollution in the area
has been evaluated and a questionnaire survey was conducted to estimate the allergic
symptoms and exposure to assess the respiratory disorders. The data are analyzed to evaluate
the critical situation arising out of the emission of air pollutants and the impact on human
health due to respirable diseases (RDs) in middle class sub-population (activity-wise) in the
area assessed. A strategic air quality management plan has been proposed. For the mitigation
of air pollution problems in the city, different measures to be adopted to maintain the balance
between sustainable development and environmental management have been discussed. Air
pollution has significant effects on exacerbation of asthma, allergy and other respiratory
diseases.

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Twenty-five crushing plants have become an obstacle in efforts to
decontaminate Quetta and are increasing air pollution in the capital city of
the largest province.
A large number of people suffering from asthma have had their flights canceled several times
due to air pollution.
Dust from 25 crushing plants has gradually increased the air pollution. Authorities concerned
have noted that at times the air pollution level is so high that the arrival and departure of
planes in Quetta is also affected.
According to the records of the Department of Minerals, 25 crushing plants in Quetta produce
50,000 tons of gravel annually, which brings the provincial government Rs25 million in
royalties.
The gravel from these crush plants not only meets the needs of Quetta but is also used in
ongoing development projects in the country.
The Balochistan High Court has also expressed anger over the situation and ordered
authorities to shift these plants out of the city as it has been impacting the natural beauty of
the city.
Importantly, even if the work is done in urban areas and in close proximity to the population,
it not only creates environmental problems but also has detrimental effects on human health.

Overcrowding, pollution and mismanagement have turned "Little Paris"

Quetta is not only the capital city but also the only metropolitan city of Balochistan. People
from all 31 districts of the province live in Quetta because it’s the only city where living
standards are comparatively better as compared to other districts. This means that problems in
Quetta affect the people of Balochistan as a whole.

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The capital of Balochistan faces a plethora of problems, the most serious of which is water
shortage. Due to a lack of planning and unchecked increases in tube wells, the water table in
Quetta has fallen. Water and Sanitation Authority (WASA) - the body which supplies water
to the city - struggles to supply water to even a small portion of the city. A majority of
Quetta's residents have no option but to avail the services of the water tanker mafia to get
water for their daily usage. According to experts, problems of water shortage will exacerbate
in the future. Experts maintain that if no concrete action is taken then the people of Quetta
might even be compelled to migrate due to water scarcity. Ever since the time of the
government of Pervez Musharraf, funds have been allocated for increasing the water supply
of Quetta. Unfortunately, a major chunk of those funds have ended up in the pockets of
corrupt ministers and bureaucrats and the problems remain un solved

There was a time when Quetta was called "Little Paris" due to its cleanliness, pleasant
weather and scenic beauty. Today, thanks to gross mismanagement and unchecked
urbanization and settlement of Afghan immigrants, Quetta is one of the most polluted cities
of Pakistan. Heaps of garbage can be found in every nook and corner of the city. There is lack
of a proper sanitation system in the city. Whenever there is a mild outpour of rain, the roads
of Quetta start smelling like drains. Funds are allocated for cleaning the city and
improvement of the sanitation system but what happens to those funds

Policies option for reducing environmental pollution

Managing emissions from mobile sources...

Possible interventions to control and reduce PM emissions from mobile sources include (a)
reducing sulfur in diesel and fuel oil, (b) retrofitting in-use diesel vehicles with PM emission-
control technology, (c) converting diesel-fueled minibuses and vans to CNG,14 (d)
controlling PM emissions from motorcycles, and (e) converting three-wheelers (rickshaws) to
CNG. These interventions would not only reduce PM emissions, but low-sulfur fuels would
also reduce secondary particulates by reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. Other potential
interventions that should be assessed include curtailing burning of solid waste in the city (and
using the informal recycling industry), controlling PM emissions from ferrous metal sources
and other industrial sources, improving street cleaning, and controlling construction dust.

Reducing sulfur content...

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Sulfur in diesel is being reduced to 500 parts per million (ppm) in Pakistan since 2012, but
no confirmed timetable has been established for 50-ppm sulfur diesel. The analysis estimates
that the health benefits of using 500-ppm sulfur content in diesel in road transport amount to
at least US$2.3–3.5 per barrel of diesel for light diesel vehicles and large diesel buses and
trucks used primarily within Karachi. Lowering the sulfur content further to 50 ppm would
provide additional health benefits of US$3.0–4.6 per barrel.15 This compares to an
approximate cost of US$1.5–2.5 per barrel for lowering the sulfur content to 500 ppm and
US$2–3 per barrel for lowering sulfur from 500 ppm to 50 ppm. Thus, the midpoint
estimated health benefits per dollar spent (that is, benefit-cost ratio) on cleaner diesel are in
the range of about US$1.1–1.2 for light-duty diesel vehicles, and US$1.7–1.8 for large buses
and trucks, for both 500-ppm and 50-ppm diesel

Health benefits of reducing sulfur...

Fuel oil in Pakistan generally has a sulfur content that averages around 3%, but some fuel oil
with 1% sulfur is being imported. PM emission rates from combustion of fuel oil are greatly
influenced by the sulfur content. Reducing sulfur from 3% to 1% is estimated to have health
benefits of US$35–47 per ton of fuel oil

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Harm from urban air pollution...

The harm caused by air pollution in Pakistan’s urban areas is one of the highest in the South
Asia Region and exceeds several high-profile causes of mortality and morbidity in Pakistan.
Urban air pollution silently kills more than 20,000 people each year and is responsible for
more than 80,000 hospital admissions per year, including cases of chronic bronchitis, and
several million cases of lower respiratory cases among children under five. Despite the strong
evidence indicating an urgent need to improve urban air quality, the issue has received little
attention and is yet to be included as a priority in Pakistan’s policy agenda. In addition, there
is little information on the main sources of lead and toxic pollutants, which should be
identified in the short term, to be used as a basis for the development of targeted
interventions.

Cannot manage without measuring...

The old adage that it is impossible to manage what is not measured is particularly applicable
to air quality. The monitoring equipment and assistance from JICA established a basic

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capability for monitoring air quality. However, ideally, the current monitoring program
would be expanded and ongoing training and budget would be provided to the people who
are maintaining and utilizing the equipment. The modest amount of actual monitored data
presented in this book reflects the limited data available. Specialized equipment, regular
maintenance, supplies of consumables, standardized protocols for reading and interpreting the
data, and training of personnel are all essential elements of viable control policies.
Furthermore, a centralized depository might be established to review and analyze data from
across the country. Overall, a strong institutional structure, combined with solid base funding
and continued oversight, is essential for achieving reliable and consistent measurements over
time. In addition to installing and operating a reliable air quality monitoring network,
inventories of mobile and stationary sources and modeling efforts are needed to better
understand the contribution of different sources of pollution, including natural sources. These
efforts should include efforts for source apportionment and speciation of PM2.5 to better
understand their source composition.

Consolidation...

Consolidating the regulatory framework for air pollution control is indispensable to achieve
improved urban air quality. The NEQS for ambient air quality published in late 2010 provide
an important first step in establishing maximum limits that are consistent with research
findings that document the health impacts of exposure to different air pollutants. However,

the new NEQS still allow for concentrations of some pollutants at levels higher

than those recommended by the WHO. A different, but also significant challenge will be
enforcing the new standards, including compliance with the various

deadlines.

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Colbeck, I., Z. A. Nasir, and Z. Z. Ali. 2010a. “The State of Air Quality in Pakistan: A Review.”
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