13. Environmental Pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION It is the first and foremost responsibilities of man to protect and preserve the planet upon which he lives. Unfortunately his irresponsible activities have polluted it so much that today no piece of land offers fresh air to breath. National wealth is carelessly spent to buy nominal and temporary luxuries. Perhaps they forget that these luxuries and piles of arms and ammunition are pushing them towards destruction and degradation. In a state of utter intoxication man is turning this flowery land into a thorny wasteland. The coming generation will be confronting a threat of extinction. These forests, meadows and beautiful scenes will be a matter of the past. Environmental pollution has gained such a magnitude that each country of the world has to identity sources and areas of environmental pollution and find out way and means for the protection and preservation of 397 The Study of Education environment. Human activities and industrial development are polluting the environment to a great extent. Rapid pollution growth all over the world has put extra pressure on natural resources. The resources are depleting at a very fast rate, even the advanced countries are not in the position to cope with the problem. The major factors, which effect our environment, are industrialization and their injurious chemicals. Besides these factors deforestation, lowering water-bed, ever increasing transport like automobiles railways ship aeroplanes and smoke emitting, vehicles running on the roads, etc are serious threat to the environment. Forest are considered the factories which produce oxygen but they are being cut on a large scale. An ordinary adult needs 15 kg air 2.5 kg of water and 1.5 kg of food-stuff every day. Drinking water is transported to the people through pipelines but the oxygen that is needed in large quantities and air with out which human life is impossible Qannot be artificially transported to human beings. The availability of this indispensable element of life depends on plants. That is why we should grow more and more plants because if this natural circle of oxygen production is hampered we will be left with no other means of producing oxygen. In Pakistan the environment remained a dead issue. However the seriousness of the problem was realized and survey were conducted. It was observed that our air' soil and water have been awfully polluted by industrial wastes being discharged into them. As a result we have lost huge coastal water. This has resulted as colossal economic loss to the nation. The intoxicated water has aggravated the health problems various fatal diseases like hepatitis, typhoid and cholera are the outcome of using contaminated water for

drinking purpose. Our big cities like Karachi, Fasalabad Multan, Gujranwala, Silakot and Peshawar need immediate remedial measures against highly toxic398 The Study of Education automobile emissions polluting badly the air. Similarly, the wastes discharged from small-scale industries with in cities are contaminating underground water and food combating industrial pollutants is the dire need of the hour, as it has become a grave threat to the whole universe. Various gases emitted from automobiles, chimneys of industrial plants, tobacco and bricks kilns in the form of smokes contain carbon monoxide, Nitrous oxide and poisonous lead. Carbon mono oxide damages our lungs and eyes, lead adversely affects the mental capability of the children. Similarly noise of vehicles cause many nervous disease and blood pressure. Further these gases go into the air and form a thick layer up in the sky. It checks the sun rays from reaching the earth and reflects them back into upper atmosphere resulting in the increase of earth temperature. This process is called Green House Effect". The Green House Effect may cause the increase in temperature of ocean which will in turn cause expansion of ocean water. In addition to melting of snow of the Polar Regions there is a great possibility of inundation of coastal cities throughout the world. Moreover, increase in the temperature of oceans would also cause abnormal rains which would in turn bring devastating floods. Deforestation is also one of the major causes of air and soil pollution. Trees are not only the ornaments of the earth but they are the source of purification of air and production of oxygen. They also consume carbon dioxide from the air. Forests are the sanctuaries for birds and animal life and a major source of our economic potential. They also help to check erosion of soil during flood season. Despite so many advantages forests are being cut ruthlessly while we should have plant more trees to save the environment from decay and decadence. The acid rain, which is* the result of pollution in the air, destroyed the forests on a large scale. According to an estimate thirty-one hector forests have been destroyed in 399 The Study of Education northern and Western Europe by these rains. Looking into the scenario- we have to think about and devise strategies to control the menace of pollution. Our policies must be formulated according to our future needs and demands. As it is known to all of us that seasons and schedule of rains are going to be changed due to rise in atmospheric temperature. Accordingly, we must keep ill these factors in view while we design dames and our canal system. Our agricultural scientists should produce seeds of such a quality that would face the extreme weather conditions. We must take maximum

care to protect our environment from pollution. For this purpose there is a great need of effective legislation on national and international level. The laws for protection and preservation of environment already available must be implemented in letter and spirit. PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN Introduction 1 here was a time, when India sub-continent was noted all over the world as a glorious centre of education and culture where students from all parts of the globe used to pour in the educational and cultures Nalanda, TaxJa and Prayag attracted students from the places, as far as Egypt, Greece, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It was 'an ideal system of education, which apart from disseminating sweetness and light, infused into the minds of the pupils a spiritual urge for coming in contact which the kingdom of the Absolute. But now when we look at the present state of affairs in our country, the change shocks us deeply and we cry out in the language of Wordsworth. "Whiter is fled the visionary gleam? Where is it now, the glory and the dream "