A recent World Bank report, “Waves of Plastic: A Snapshot of Marine Plastic Pollution in South Asia,” underscores the severe environmental impact of plastic pollution in the region.
This report shows that Pakistan, India, and four other South Asian countries significantly contribute to cross-border pollution through 20 major rivers, affecting both local and marine ecosystems.
The report highlights how key transboundary river basins, including the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin and the Indus River basin, act as major conduits for pollutants like solid waste, plastics, and industrial effluents.
It reveals that 68% of Afghanistan’s plastic waste, 66% of Pakistan’s, and 1.5% of India’s end up in the Indus River, with Pakistan having the lowest plastic waste leakage rate in South Asia and Sri Lanka the highest.
Despite being landlocked, Bhutan and Nepal also contribute to marine plastic pollution through their rivers, while India and the Maldives have better waste collection rates compared to other South Asian countries.
The report notes that Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan have lower per capita plastic leakage rates due to their higher recycling rates—37% for Bangladesh, 40.6% for India, and 19.2% for Pakistan.
The World Bank stresses the need for effective national policies and their implementation to curb plastic waste.
Success relies on cooperation across various levels of government and robust infrastructure.
The report also points out the crucial roles of the private and informal sectors, highlighting that local policies often prove more effective due to regional mandates.
Global plastic pollution has escalated, with an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles in the oceans by 2019, according to the 5 Gyres Institute. The report warns that without binding global policies, marine plastic pollution could increase 2.6 times by 2040, emphasizing the urgent need for global action based on data from 11,777 ocean stations across six marine regions from 1979 to 2019.