Conserve What Our Children Deserve: Environmental Hazards and Their Impacts on the Inhabitants of Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Climate change is one of the gravest issues encountered by humanity today resulting from serious environmental hazards that are acutely poisoning the natural ecosystem. This study endeavors to pinpoint the causes of environmental hazards and explain their detrimental effects on the climate. Using a qualitative approach, we investigated the attitudes of the local community and analyze their practices through the thematic analysis method, hoping to get a refined idea about the risks and community tactics involved in discerning the menace of environmental degradation. In-depth interviews are conducted in the local language with 60 respondents of Rawalpindi: healthcare professionals (10), janitors (10), transporters (10), restaurateurs (10), and the local population (20), which were later transcribed into English. The findings revealed that the major environmental hazards, air pollution, waste disposal, scarcity of clean water caused by factories and vehicles; poor waste disposal management; rapid urban population, wastage of water, and poor sewerage system have negative effects on the physical and psychological health of the people. This study shows that there is a dire need for the continuous process of planning and management by educationists and government officials to create awareness and mitigate the existing environmental hazards.
