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SINGAPORE: Out of 22 megacities of Asia, Karachi has been declared the least environment friendly because of its poor air-quality, inferior transport system and an inadequate sanitation network, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in a report on Monday.
The study titled the Asian Green City Index, launched for the first time, placed Singapore at the overall number one position, while sited Karachi as the only city, which was in well below the average category. Similar indices have already been launched for Europe and Latin America.
Mumbai, Kolkata, Hanoi, Manila and Bengaluru have been placed in the below average category, while Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and four others were in the average category when it comes to being environmental friendly, said the Asian Green City Index that measures and rates the environmental performance.
The Index, sponsored by Siemens, said that Asian population living in urban areas jumped to 42 percent in 2010 from 32 percent in 1990. By 2026, the UN forecasts that half of Asians will be city dwellers, it said.
The trend toward urbanization, above all here in Asia, raises the question of how soaring populations can be provided with infrastructure that conserves resources and protects the climate, said Barbara Kux, Siemens chief sustainability officer at a news conference, while sharing the findings of the study. At the projected rates of growth, Asian cities must be ready to collectively accommodate an expected 1.1 billion additional residents over the next 20 years.
The Asian Green City Index declared Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo and Yokohama in the above average category, while Singapore as ìwell above the average. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions, land use and buildings, waste management, water availability and environmental governance were the other indicators that were made part of the Index along with air-quality, transport and sanitation network.
The study said that Karachi being one of the worlds fastest growing metropolises ranks well-below average in the Index. The citys best performance is in the water category where it ranks average, mainly for a low rate of per capita water consumption at 165 liters per person per day, compared with the Index average of 278 liters.
Jan Friederich, senior consultant of the EIU, told The News that low water consumption in Karachi was the result of its shortage and inefficiency rather than conservation efforts. It said the water distribution in Karachi remains about 40 year old on an average with many corroded pipes that disrupts effective transportation to homes and businesses. The city suffers from a relatively high rate of leakages; 25 percent of the water is lost, compared to the index average of 22 percent. The study said Karachi remains well below average or below average in most of the other categories. The city has the biggest challenges in the transport and air quality categories, where it ranks well below the average.
In these categories, it is marked down particularly for lacking a superior public transport network, such as metro lines, bus rapid transit system or trams and for high average daily concentrations of the three air pollutants evaluated in the index. Nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter remains the three major air pollutants in Karachi, it added.
Karachis main challenges include vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and open burning. The city remains vulnerable because its environment policies are not comprehensive, it said. Karachi also ranks below in the energy and CO2 category. The city produces less-than-average levels of CO2 per person, at an estimated 3.1 tonnes compared to the index average of 4.6 tonnes. But emission levels could be higher because of the lack of current data. Regarding energy efficiency, Karachi consumes an estimated 7.8 megajoules per US$ of GDP compared to the average of six megajoules.
The city also remains unable to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. Its climate action plan covers only three of the six areas evaluated in the index; waste, transport and energy, but not water, sanitation or buildings.
Coming to the issue of land use and building, Karachi remains below average with relatively low population density, a lower-than-average result on green space per person and weaknesses on government policies. The amount of green spaces, at 17 square meters per person is below the index average of 39 square meters and the city only partially protects green spaces through regulations.
Karachi also ranks below average in sanitation, where only 57 percent of its people having this facility against the index average of 70 percent. Karachi also appears below the average for the share of wastewater treated at 22 percent against the average of 60 percent, it said. Overall, the sewerage system is ageing, and the three existing treatment plants serving the city operate at about 50 percent efficiency. In environmental governance, Karachi again ranks below average. The city has an environmental department, but it lacks the full legal remit to enact environmental regulations.
Karachi least environment friendly city in Asia: report
The study titled the Asian Green City Index, launched for the first time, placed Singapore at the overall number one position, while sited Karachi as the only city, which was in well below the average category. Similar indices have already been launched for Europe and Latin America.
Mumbai, Kolkata, Hanoi, Manila and Bengaluru have been placed in the below average category, while Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and four others were in the average category when it comes to being environmental friendly, said the Asian Green City Index that measures and rates the environmental performance.
The Index, sponsored by Siemens, said that Asian population living in urban areas jumped to 42 percent in 2010 from 32 percent in 1990. By 2026, the UN forecasts that half of Asians will be city dwellers, it said.
The trend toward urbanization, above all here in Asia, raises the question of how soaring populations can be provided with infrastructure that conserves resources and protects the climate, said Barbara Kux, Siemens chief sustainability officer at a news conference, while sharing the findings of the study. At the projected rates of growth, Asian cities must be ready to collectively accommodate an expected 1.1 billion additional residents over the next 20 years.
The Asian Green City Index declared Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo and Yokohama in the above average category, while Singapore as ìwell above the average. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions, land use and buildings, waste management, water availability and environmental governance were the other indicators that were made part of the Index along with air-quality, transport and sanitation network.
The study said that Karachi being one of the worlds fastest growing metropolises ranks well-below average in the Index. The citys best performance is in the water category where it ranks average, mainly for a low rate of per capita water consumption at 165 liters per person per day, compared with the Index average of 278 liters.
Jan Friederich, senior consultant of the EIU, told The News that low water consumption in Karachi was the result of its shortage and inefficiency rather than conservation efforts. It said the water distribution in Karachi remains about 40 year old on an average with many corroded pipes that disrupts effective transportation to homes and businesses. The city suffers from a relatively high rate of leakages; 25 percent of the water is lost, compared to the index average of 22 percent. The study said Karachi remains well below average or below average in most of the other categories. The city has the biggest challenges in the transport and air quality categories, where it ranks well below the average.
In these categories, it is marked down particularly for lacking a superior public transport network, such as metro lines, bus rapid transit system or trams and for high average daily concentrations of the three air pollutants evaluated in the index. Nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter remains the three major air pollutants in Karachi, it added.
Karachis main challenges include vehicle emissions, industrial pollution and open burning. The city remains vulnerable because its environment policies are not comprehensive, it said. Karachi also ranks below in the energy and CO2 category. The city produces less-than-average levels of CO2 per person, at an estimated 3.1 tonnes compared to the index average of 4.6 tonnes. But emission levels could be higher because of the lack of current data. Regarding energy efficiency, Karachi consumes an estimated 7.8 megajoules per US$ of GDP compared to the average of six megajoules.
The city also remains unable to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. Its climate action plan covers only three of the six areas evaluated in the index; waste, transport and energy, but not water, sanitation or buildings.
Coming to the issue of land use and building, Karachi remains below average with relatively low population density, a lower-than-average result on green space per person and weaknesses on government policies. The amount of green spaces, at 17 square meters per person is below the index average of 39 square meters and the city only partially protects green spaces through regulations.
Karachi also ranks below average in sanitation, where only 57 percent of its people having this facility against the index average of 70 percent. Karachi also appears below the average for the share of wastewater treated at 22 percent against the average of 60 percent, it said. Overall, the sewerage system is ageing, and the three existing treatment plants serving the city operate at about 50 percent efficiency. In environmental governance, Karachi again ranks below average. The city has an environmental department, but it lacks the full legal remit to enact environmental regulations.
Karachi least environment friendly city in Asia: report
