12 September 2019
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A few weeks ago, oft estranged neighbours, India and Pakistan, declared within a few hours difference, a war, thankfully not against each other but against a common enemy - plastic.
On 15th August, Prime Minister Modi in his Independence Day speech called for putting an end to single use plastic across the country by 2022 starting from forthcoming Gandhi Jayanti i.e. 2nd October. Just a day before, Pakistan had enforced a ban on single use plastic in Islamabad and adjoining territories as a pilot to be universalized gradually.
Although the recent policy decisions on single use plastic by India and Pakistan are independent of each other, identification of a common enemy (even if by chance) despite times of heightened tensions post Pulwama and in the aftermath of de-operationalisation of Article 370, is pleasantly ironic. That leaders none other than the prime ministers with popular mandate are leading the efforts to eliminate single use plastic is a huge opportunity not just for the two countries but for the region and beyond. This opportunity, however, places a huge responsibility on us, including, governments, industry, civil society and citizens to come up with strategic and innovative solutions based on the experience to ensure success.
It is not the first time though that India and Pakistan have taken steps in this direction. Provinces in Pakistan have banned plastic bags earlier too but its enforcement remained ineffective, largely due to lack of affordable alternative to plastic bags and inability of concerned agencies to implement the ban. Similarly, states in India have tried different degrees of ban on plastic bags. While such efforts have shown some results in states like Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, it has miserably failed in Delhi, which banned plastic bags in 2012. Besides lack of viable options, indifference of public, lack of enforcement, pressure applied by manufacturers, and fear of job loss to over one lakh people resulted in the ban in Delhi fizzling out within days of its inception.
At a time when media in both the countries is generally playing to the gallery, a cursory review reflects that analytical pieces are being published in both the countries. The topics covered, include, the enormity of the problem, impediments in eliminating single use plastic and possible measures to address these impediments[i].
That plastic is fast converting planet earth into a trash bin is no longer news. Unfortunately, it is not our collective worry either.
The plastic produced world over in the last 70 years is equivalent to four Mount Everests of waste.
Nearly, half of this plastic has been generated during the last couple of decades.. Most of this plastic after passing through garbage dumps and landfills etc. eventually reaches the oceans. In 2017-18 a study reported that around 80,000 tons of plastic was found floating in the Pacific, representing the most persistent form of pollution. Not being bio-degradable, most of the plastic produced remains in the environment for 500 years or more, resulting in grave consequences for oceans, marine life, water ways, drainage, forests, animals and of course us humans.
Despite being among the lowest consumers of plastic (11 Kg per person annually against global average of 28 Kg) we Indians generate around 26,000 tons of plastic waste daily. Pakistan on the other hand produces 55 billion plastic bags annually, which results in 9% of the country’s solid waste being plastic.
A range of measures can help us reduce use of plastic. These measures include but are not limited to; awareness generation, penalties, higher taxes, procuring green, extended producer responsibility wherein producers are held responsible for disposal, and, an end-to-end approach to eradicate the use and sale of plastic.
The depth of the discussion on both sides of the border not only reflects common concerns it also reflects commonality in consequences as well as actions to arrest these consequences. Despite the independence of the initiative in both countries, the impact is evidently not going to be independent. This seemingly unplanned connect adds fervor to hope for the future. A range of conflicting interests notwithstanding there remain formidable common enemies to India and Pakistan, plastic is just one of them. Climate change, depleting water resources, poverty, disease and population explosion are some of the many others. The need to wage a war against each of these common enemies has never been more urgent.
[i] The media pieces referred to include;
https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/ZUw60VXiZ7WdFL7X2XOA0M/Plasticfree-India-is-a-nudge-away.html
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/03/14/the-looming-plastic-pollution-crisis/
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author, and don’t necessarily reflect the position of CBGA. You can reach Asadullah at asadullah@cbgaindia.org.