The provincial government in an attempt to roll back on plastic use has banned the use, purchase, import or export of plastic shopping bags.
Local media reports that the government is already in pursuit of releasing cloth bags. The effort is not only underway in Hunza, in fact, but the majority of KP areas are also following in Hunza`s footsteps.
https://twitter.com/ptiofficial/status/1085450216071942145
Plastic bags were non-biodegradable and a source of environmental destruction for years. Despite the government` efforts, the customers and shopkeepers tend to disagree with the ban.
While they acknowledge the government`s measure for environmental safety, they have no other alternatives to plastic bags.
In conversation with Dawn, a trader, Ikram Jamal in Hunza main market area says, "The use of plastic bags is not only handy but also very cheap compared to cloth and paper bags".
Traders expressed their dissatisfaction towards the lack of a viable alternative when it comes to plastic bags. Some of them were quoted as saying that despite the ban, plastic bags are still lurking around markets.
Such attempts are being carried out across the world while in some countries plastic bags have been completely banned, a look at the region shows similar efforts being carried out by countries like Bangladesh, Tanzania, Kenya, Canada, etc. As a matter of fact, the ban in question has been exercised by both developing and the developed world. Pakistan`s Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber. Pakhtunkhwa is on the verge of a plastic ban too.
As much as environmental activists and advocacy groups are appreciating the ban, they want the government to enforce strict policing measures as well.
The ban has gained wide support on Twitter where the majority of the social media users appreciate the incumbent government`s efforts to counter environmental deterioration.
https://twitter.com/Muhammadmadni1/status/852764087817707520
https://twitter.com/dabeer_ali/status/984041572030386176
https://twitter.com/reesedward/status/653655720995520512