Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment
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World Bank, Washington, DC
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The urgency of addressing
Pakistan's environmental problems has probably never
been greater. Conservative estimates presented in this
report suggest that environmental degradation costs the
country at least 6 percent of GDP, or about Rs. 365 billion
per year, and these costs fall disproportionately upon the
poor. The most significant causes of environmental damage
identified and estimated in this report are (1) illness and
premature mortality caused by air pollution (indoor and
outdoor), (almost 50 percent oft he total damage cost); (2)
diarrhoeal diseases and typhoid due to inadequate water
supply, sanitation and hygiene (about 30 percent of the
total), and (3) reduced agricultural productivity due to
soil degradation (about 20 percent of the total). The
magnitude of these costs indicates that environmental decay
has become a serious development concern. Following a
discussion of the analytical framework for environmental
outcomes, , the report analyzes the main binding constraints
to improving environmental performance as falling into four
categories, (1) gaps in institutional design, (2) gaps in
the regulatory framework, (3) capacity limitations, and (4)
gaps in incentives and accountability. Of these, weak
incentives and low levels of public accountability remain
the critical constraints on performance. Public scrutiny of
performance is ultimately a source of strength that leads to
stronger institutions with greater public trust and support.
The principal features of these constraints are discussed,
as are recommendations for moving forward to more
sustainable economic growth. The annex (Volume 2) provides a
comprehensive overview of the data and methods used to
estimate the costs of environmental degradation in three
environmental damage categories and three natural resource
damage categories: (1) urban air pollution, including
particulate matter and lead, (2) water supply, sanitation
and hygiene, (3) indoor air pollution, (4) agricultural
damage from soil salinity and erosion, (5) rangeland
degradation, and (6) deforestation. Data limitations have
prevented estimation of degradation costs at the national
level for coastal zones, municipal waste disposal, and
inadequate industrial and hospital waste management.
Palabras clave
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISK, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, INSTITUTIONS, AIR QUALITY, WATER AND SANITATION, DRINKING WATER, WATER AND SANITATION, DONOR COORDINATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS