In Pakistan, serious attention to environmental pollution began in the early 1990s. The first major law, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of 1997, introduced a framework to monitor pollution. It focused on air pollution from factories and vehicles, water pollution from household and industrial wastewater and land pollution from waste produced by homes, factories and hospitals. However, the law overlooked a key tool for controlling pollution: public awareness. While the government addresses pollution on a large scale, individuals should take responsibility for their local environment. Unfortunately, the law did not emphasise this role for citizens, and government agencies did not effectively promote it.

In developed countries with strong governance, people don't need frequent public service messages. They understand their responsibilities, like placing household waste in designated bins to avoid littering or maintaining their vehicles to keep emissions within limits. Failing to care for the environment can lead to fines from regulatory authorities. People also have personal choices, like walking instead of driving short distances to reduce emissions, even though such actions may not be penalised. Their sense of responsibility encourages them to reduce waste by reusing and recycling household items. This happens when people trust their government to protect the environment while they take care of small, individual actions to support it.

In a poorly governed country like ours, where systems........

© The Express Tribune