ECO COSTS

Pakistan is incurring an annual economic loss of US $1.8 billion because of mismanagement in six key environmental areas, according to Omar Asghar, the country's federal minister for environment, local government and rural development. The loss suffered due to negligent handling of municipal solid and liquid waste amounts to US $883 million, rising urban air pollution costs the economy US $369 million, deforestation leads to a loss of US $28 million, cropland degradation and rangeland degradation results in a loss US $357 million and US $125 million respectively and destruction of mangrove forests costs US $15.7 million.