Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment

Bibliographic Data

ID23531582
AuthorsWorld Bank
Year2006
Publication date2006-08-21
Open AccessNo
TypeBOOK
PublisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1596/33928
OpenAlexW4235284441
LanguageEN
Citations received9

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

Business · Environmental impact assessment · Environmental planning · Geography · Political science · Strategic Environmental Assessment · Law · Transboundary Water Resource Management

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