Daily Times

Sir: Due to easy availability, plastic bags are excessively used all over the country without considering their hazards. These plastic bags are made up of polyethylene and are not biodegradable. Their decomposition lasts for 400-1,000 years. As a consequence, they cause several environmental and other problems. According to researchers, every day almost 10 million plastic bags are consumed and carelessly thrown into the streets. These bags block the drainage and sewerage systems, causing water logging, germination of bacteria and many water-borne diseases.

They not only cause sewerage problems but also pose a threat to human health. Phthalates and Bisphenol A are some of the additives widely used in plastic, which interfere with natural hormones. Animals also get affected when they swallow plastic that accumulates in their bowels, which ultimately becomes lethal to these animals. Bangladesh and some other countries have taken strong measures to avoid the menace, but Pakistan as usual has turned a deaf ear to this issue. I request the concerned authorities to take stringent measures to check this environmental threat.
SHIREEN HASHIM
Turbat