Noted environmental journalist Ms Sheema Siddiqui has said that sea level is increasing day by day, hence in future our coastal areas along with coastal cities including Karachi, Dhaka and other will remain no more.
She said this at a seminar which was organised by Sindh Madressatul Islam University’s Department of Environmental Sciences in collaboration with the Directorate of Students’ Affairs and Counseling on hazardous of plastic and environmental challenges at the Senate Hall of SMIU today.
She said soil erosion by sea was posing great threat to our agriculture lands and human lives. Also, the Indus Delta is dying due to increased sea level. Hence, we must make the environment sustainable. Citing the references from world organizations she said 3.3 million tons of plastic wastage is going into seas, as a result up to 2050 there will be no fish in oceans, and there would be only plastic oceans there.
Ms Siddiqui further said eating utensils are posing a great threat to human and marine lives, therefore, we must use steel and clay made utensils for food instead of plastic. “Due to usage of plastic utensils in food, cancer, tuberculosis (T.B) and other diseases are developed in our health, specially the cases of cancer are increasing in our country,” she said and added that when we use plastic plates and bowels for food, particles of plastic are mixed up with our food, that harm our health. She pointed out that the same situation is of other countries of South Asian.
The environmental journalist was of the view that due to the climate change particularly after the Covid-19 all the four seasons have been mixed, now cold weather remains continued till April and we didn’t see Spring this year. She further said that early rains in the country are an indicator of the climate change. On the contrary to the past, this year rains were witnessed in some parts of Sindh, Punjab and other areas of the country in the month of April. “Some days ago a snow fall was also seen in Chitral, therefore these rains are affecting wheat and other crops badly,” she maintained.
She said environmental changes have changed the eco system and natural style of lands and life in our rural areas. “We have deviated from the nature and are acting against it,” she said and commented that majority of our growers are using chemical fertilizers in agriculture lands, which too create health and environmental problems.
She said we have also witnessed heavy floods in Pakistan specially in its Sindh province in recent years. These changes are bringing damages to the food security, she remarked. She suggested that we must come back to the environmental friendly things and must abandon usage of plastic utensils that are harming our lives. “If we want to save the earth and human lives we must come forward and spread awareness about the environment among masses,” she concluded.
Earlier, Dr. Hina Shehnaz, Incharge Chairperson of the Department of Environmental Sciences welcomed the guest. Mr. Khalid Hassan, Lecture of Department of the Environmental Science of SMIU conducted the proceedings. A large number of students and faculty members attended the seminar.