By Shujauddin Qureshi
Despite the fact the government of Sindh has imposed a ban on use of plastic bags in the province from October 1, 2019, there seems a gigantic task before the provincial administration to implement the ban. There seems an impact on use of plastic polythene bags in the city as it is openly used by vendors in all parts of Karachi city.
Although the environmentalists have welcomed the campaign and committed to making it successful, there are many strong reasons for others that this campaign is about to fail.
The main reason is the resistance from the manufacturers and traders that said no alternative is provided to them to replace plastic bags. The notification states: "....only Oxo-biodegradable plastic/shopping bags of 30-40 microns or weight from 6 to 28 grams are allowed to be manufactured, sold/purchased and used in Sindh."
A section of the traders has even demanded the provincial government provide them thousands of cotton cloth bags free of cost so they can replace plastic bags. The manufacturers fear widespread unemployment as a result of the closure of the factories. A huge amount of plastic raw material is already imported and stored in godowns, waiting to be processed and converted into plastic bags. Whereas the manufacturers say they have invested millions of rupees in the import of machinery and all would be wasted if they stopped making the plastics.
Although the government seems to be committed to implementing the ban as the spokesman of the provincial government Murtaza Wahab told newsmen at a press conference in Karachi that the Environment Protection Agency has raided many places where the ban was being violated. A wholesaler in Khori Garden wholesale market was raided and EPA confiscated tons of plastic bags and a plastic bags manufacturing factory in Jamshoro was sealed.
In the past similar attempts were made in all four provinces but remained failed. In 1994-95 both Sindh and Punjab governments banned plastic bags, but that remained ineffective. In Islamabad, a ban is recently imposed on the use of plastic bags.
Some critics say the government has not done any homework before launching the campaign and no alternative is provided to the public, traders and manufacturers. "It is just like previous campaigns by the government like compulsory use of helmets by the motorcyclists," a shopkeeper said.
