Mr. Merchant is a built-environment consultant on a multi-country assignment for the headoffice of Aga Khan Planning and Building Service. He was associated with the Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan (AKPBS,P) for thirteen years from 1996 to 2009 as the CEO. Born and having completed his High School in Karachi, Pakistan, Mr. Asif proceeded to complete his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Ohio State University in the USA. He then specialized in Structural Engineering by completing MS degree from Stanford University, USA, under the guidance of Professor Haresh Shah, the noted Earthquake Engineering specialist. In 2006, he completed an Executive MBA from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Mr. Asif started his career as a Structural Design Engineer at Sargent And Lundy Consulting Engineers, USA. After 2 years at the firm, he returned to Pakistan and worked 10 years for various building design consulting firms. He eventually shifted to the Development sector and took up the position at AKPBS,P.

He was part of the transition of AKPBS,P from being primarily a building agency for other development organizations to undertaking community development work itself. It was during his time that AKPBS,P initiated the Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP), the Building and Constriction Improvement Programme (BACIP) and the Habitat Risk Management Programme (HRMP). Besides other recognitions, AKPBS,P won the prestigious Alcan Prize for Sustainability in 2005 on the strength of these programmes, as well as the World Habitat Award-2006 given jointly by the UN-Habitat and Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF), UK. Mr. Merchant was also instrumental in positioning AKPBS,P as a unique development agency in Pakistan, which not only works in both the capacity building and implementation arena but is also a very strong proponent of quality built-environment interventions at the community level for sustainable development.

1. What are some of the key natural and built environment related issues that      affect us today?  Do aspects of the built and natural environments relate to      any of the global issues?

The built-environment is physical aspects of the world made by humans for their living.  Any aspect of the environment that humans find themselves in today is actually the built environment because humans have changed practically everything. Even a park, for instance, cannot be considered as a natural environment in its true sense, since it contains an obvious element of human deliberation and disturbance.

To answer the question of what are the built-environment issues that affect us today, we simply have to look around us and whatever we see as problems in our environment are actually built-environment issues. Litter everywhere; traffic jams, bad roads, electricity / water shortage; lack of convenient and cheap transportation systems; poor housing land availability; etc. are all built-environment issues. The reason why we are faced with these problems, as opposed to people in the developed world, are primarily threefold- lack of planning; lack of investment; and lack of enforcement of codes and bylaws. A major underlying element in all of this is lack of understanding and awareness of the importance of the built-environment in our daily lives.

There are strong linkages of the built-environment to all the 8 Millennium Development Goals endorsed by representatives of all the humans on the planet as the objectives they would like to achieve by 2015. These include addressing issues of poverty, diseases, gender dis-balances, etc. One of the biggest threats faced by mankind today is global warming and climate change, and the built-environment significantly contributes to these issues in many different ways.  40% of the total emissions of green house gases are related to making or maintaining buildings that involve material manufacturing, power generation plants and wastes such as sewerage and construction waste. Other major cause of climate change is reduction in carbon absorption by forests and trees, which again have been because of human built-environment encroaching on the natural environment.

2. How does environment impact health?

Effect of the built-environment on health has been a fairly ignored area. Thoughtless development and unmanaged land-use patterns have created health hazards and a public health concern that rarely figure when development decisions are made. Pollution within buildings due to congestion and poor ventilation, and in cities due to lack of urban planning, results in the second biggest killer disease today in the developing world - Acute Respiratory Infection. Inadequate supply of water or dysfunctional sewerage systems result in the most prevalent health problems in the world i.e. Malaria and Diarrhea. Unless we take steps to manage the built-environment efficiently, we will have to pay a heavy price both in terms of a poor quality of life and a reduced life span for the many unfortunate in our society.

3. How are children impacted by the various environment related issues facing      societies locally and globally?

Children are affected by a poor built-environment in at least three major ways. First is the prevalence of water borne and air-pollution related diseases mentioned above, which actually affect children much more than they do adults. It not only results in sickness and death, but also absenteeism from school and a decrease in the ability to learn. The second is the engagement of children in tasks which ideally should be provided by the civic agencies i.e. for collection of drinking water and fuel for cooking and heating. Girls are also made responsible for cleaning and dusting mud houses with poor ventilation. All these factors add to the workload on children from a very young age reducing the time and energy they have to learn, play and interact with others. Thirdly, the freedom of a child to go out and interact with people is dependant on how the surroundings are built. The effects of environment are thus widespread. An essential element of any child’s development is her/his ability to go around freely without any security concerns, traffic hazards, and with access to recreational and educational facilities. Imagine a situation where a child lives in a crowded neighborhood surrounded by busy roads on all sides. He is mostly confined to the house, and if the house is very dark and crowded, the child’s mental, physical and social development will be adversely impacted. If the school is far away due to which the child faces transportation problems, pollution and traffic issues, the development will be further influenced negatively.

Evidently such issues stem mainly from poor environmental planning and are a matter of concern for every household. They are also global issues prevalent in most developing countries.

4. What factors may have contributed to the various disasters Pakistan has      faced in the past?

Pakistan suffers from a plethora of natural and human induced hazards that threaten to affect the lives and livelihood of the poor people, particularly children from poor households since they are more vulnerable. During the past decades we have increasingly faced natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, and drought and human induced disasters including fires, civil unrest and terrorism, refugees and internally displaced people, health epidemics, transport accidents, industrial accidents, etc.
Natural disasters are recurrent and humans have been able to calculate the probability of occurrences of these disasters and their expected severity. You would normally hear experts talk about floods that were of 10 year recurring cycles, 50 year recurring cycles, etc. This means that the intensity of the given floods was such that it had a probability of happening once in 10 years or 50 years. Human disturbance of natural balances may change the intensities and probabilities a little over a period of the last 50 years, but mind you, nature works on a very large time cycle and natural phenomena change over very long periods of time- millenniums and more. So while global phenomena like soil degradation and global warming may have increased the intensity of the disasters, the real damage is really done because we don’t learn from the past and don’t make investments in our built-environment which can protect us from the natural forces. Hazards don’t become disasters if humans can manage their impacts.

The 2005 Earthquake, in which over 70,000 people were killed, also killed more than 25,000 children because around 5,000 government schools fell down. Not a single government engineer or contractor was held responsible, even though earthquake resistant designs have been in practice worldwide for years.  Haiti and Chile faced more or less same scale of earthquakes. In Haiti more than 0.2 million, and in Chile not more than 150 people died. This is because Chile built earthquake resistant buildings that would not pose as threats learnt from their 1975 earthquake experience. Importantly, in Pakistan people flout the earthquake resistant codes that have been legislated also. Quetta was flattened in 1935, but the British introduced building techniques and regulations which ensured that future similar earthquakes would not do so much of damage. In the last 10-20 years, we have stopped following those regulations and techniques in the area and consequences will be grave in case of an eventuality.

The 2010 floods across the country are yet another example of ill-planning on the part of state; absence of proper land management; illegal encroachments on the part of people, etc. The devastation from Gilgit down to Thatta has raised many questions. While floods have occurred in Pakistan since time immemorial, have we ever planned for it? Are the embankments made in the right location and with the right strengths? Are our cities and villages located on high grounds and away from the path of the surging river or protected by bunds? We heard so often this time during the floods that bunds of certain area were broken (or not broken) to protect a city or some influential man’s estate. If we had done our planning, the water and flood path would have been made in such a way that important assets would have been automatically saved. Unfortunately children will bear the greatest brunt of the disaster induced displacements, in terms of health, education, etc.
An interesting case study is the Ataabad landslide. To most, it will appear as a natural thing which humans could not have avoided. But a major reason for the landslide was the years of unsustainable human extraction from the land in shape of tree cutting for use of timber for house construction and for heating and cooking. A simple fuel-efficient stove, insulation of houses or efficient design of wood sections for house construction would have reduced the need for cutting tree by more than 60%. Our government needs to ensure that deforestation activities in these vulnerable areas are avoided and the society needs to help the government and impose self-restrictions.

While early warning systems and preparedness for relief and rescue are important to reduce the full impact of a disaster, these are reactionary measures and not precautionary. Undoubtedly these steps mitigate disaster influence when the extent of the calamity is truly extraordinary. As for expected and recurring phenomena, planning through timely investments in the environment and strict enforcement and adherence to standards and regulations is a must.

5. Can you elaborate on the individual actions that add to the gravity of issues      facing us today?

There are numerous individual actions that contribute to the enormity of prevailing issues. For instance mainly due to non-availability of equally affordable alternatives, a vast majority of households in the pastoral areas cook food using biomass methods which utilizes anything derived from degradable biological methods like wood, charcoal, etc. In the event of this process, a high degree of carbon emissions is created in the form of heavy smoke, which is directly inhaled by the children as they stay in close proximity to their mothers while they cook. Even when the food is cooked in open spaces, the children can’t escape the effect of the heavy smoke produced in the process. On the other hand, in cold regions, where cooking in the house is inevitable, the smoke harms the children directly as ventilation systems are not sophisticated and houses are kept tightly closed to keep warm. Invariably the smoke enters the respiratory systems of the children effecting their mental development due to intake of carbon monoxide. Indoor air pollution is a major cause of diseases such as infections, asthma, and lung cancer, besides headaches, dry-eyes, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue.

Urban settlements contribute massively to water pollution. Human wastes, industrial wastes, urban runoff from the streets and parking lots, pesticides and herbicides from parks, lawns, and gardens—all end up in the water. Most major cities have no arrangement of waste water treatment and it is not uncommon to find that the waste is dumped into lakes and rivers. Number of patients with water borne diseases is on the rise and a significant percentage of these are children who die because of severe diarrhea.  Outdoor air pollution in cities comes from industry, electricity generation or heating plants, and from motor vehicles. Particularly in the summer months, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic carbons from these sources combine to form ground level ozone, while particulate pollutants and acid emissions contribute their share to summer smog or winter haze. The social impacts of a limiting urban environment negatively impact adults and children. Congested living conditions, deserted streets, poor public transportation, gated communities, urban sprawl—these and other aspects of modern cities can contribute to isolation, lack of access for the disadvantaged, and alienation.

Therefore the responsibility for creating a healthy environment is as much dependent on the individual act as it is on collective action. I think the biggest contribution to the overall improvement of our lives that individuals can make is to obey the laws and building and environmental regulations. In Pakistan, many of these laws and regulations contain the wisdom of years of human experiences and scientific research. Each part of it is made to help us, either directly or indirectly. We feel, in our limited understanding, that the laws and regulations are not important. But they are. We should also form pressure groups to ensure that others also don’t violate the law and that the law enforcing agencies do their jobs.

6. How can cities lessen environmental impact?

We don’t appreciate it but it is the lack of proper built environment which dictates a lot of our life aspects and there is a need for people to look beyond the materialistic fortification of the society. We are still in the development phase so we should make sure we head in the right direction. We face problems of sanitation, sewerage systems etc. in all our big cities. Conditions are relatively better in some localities. DHA in Karachi for example is a good model of neighborhood that caters to the various needs of people who live there. Parks are easily accessible; markets are located at walking distance; there is a ban on commercialization of residential plots, system of waste disposal is organized, etc. However there is need for realization that the area as also the cities can accommodate people up to a limit and there is need for development of rural areas so that people may choose to live there and commute to bigger towns only if need be. If we look at some of the western models, many people in certain European cities deliberately live in small towns and commute to big cities if the need arises. A lot of individuals commute on bicycles. Many of them do not own personal cars and if they need to travel long-distance they use vehicles available through a car-sharing club. This results in energy efficiency and reduced air pollution. So the idea is to make choices that are conducive to the environment. People must understand that owning a car per head in the family is not a symbol of high standard of living. So the more compact we design communities, the less people have to drive. Imagine there being a proper built environment in sub-urban and rural areas, we would be living in a small town for example Thatta instead of living in a big city such as Karachi; our lives would have been so different where we knew everybody and everything was accessible at a walking distance. Nowadays, large housing projects attract us because they have been attempted to be built it in a way that the provision of every possible facility is taken care of within close vicinity.

Also there is more that must be done in redesigning metropolitan areas in addition to building compact communities. Construction of high-rises for example is automatically linked to development. When we see fantastic new buildings coming up we think the country is becoming modern, so it becomes our manifestation of modernity. But what actually happens is that as taller buildings are constructed, the density of people in the area increases. Traffic will go up and will give rise to issues of parking, air and noise pollution, etc. Requirements for water and energy resources will also increase and become an issue for the entire neighborhood. Even though all such development affects our lives we are not much concerned; rather we are happy for the mere fact of a new, much taller building in our locality. This attitude needs to change, i.e. we need to be aware of all that is happening around us.

7. Are there any local initiatives to address the issue of air and water       pollution? How receptive or resistant have people been to this change?

The Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan, to which I am presently associated with, has reached 10,000 houses under its ‘Building and Construction Improvement Program’ that is responsible for reducing carbon emissions and energy efficiency. During the campaign to provide solutions against indoor air pollution and its likely impacts, messages were shared with people through television and radio broadcasting, live demonstrations, etc. Initially, free stoves were given out in villages so that people can spread the word and convince their neighbors about its benefits. The impact was however not very impressive. The reason for failure is simple and understandable. The issue of cooking stoves is a lifestyle issue, which means that the lives of the users are changed by a slight change in the current norm. Therefore, the acceptance for the help put forward is observed to be low. For this reason, we subsequently conducted research to produce innovated designs so the change requisite of acceptance is minimal. The lesson learnt was that designs have to made keeping in mind the cooking needs of different households and according to the different geographical requirements. The programme has become quite a success now. Unfortunately, the awareness about how to approach the issues is slim to none. The need to reach further with the message still remains. While our government and non-governmental counterparts have other similar initiatives, there is need to understand that the product has to adapt to the people and not vice-versa.

Under AKPBS,P’s ‘Water and Sanitation Program’, (water has been provided to over 200,000 people and 15000 toilets have been setup), facility has been provided to every household at their doorstep in certain target areas. A sewerage system has also been built which connects to every household’s toilet. Besides this, hygiene education is given to children and mothers. It is basically an integrated program where there is a soft side of training people on how to handle water and problems with unhygienic water, and then the provision of hardware like water supply and sanitation. Water treatment plants have been made as well and designed in a way that they consume less energy and more gravitational force. The locals are trained to operate the system, and proper accountancy is practiced to collect monthly payments, pay the operator for running and cleaning the system. So a whole system reaches out to the community for capacity building. This is a replicable model and has been implemented in the northern areas as well as the southern province of Sindh. Unfortunately, there are very few programmes in Pakistan that take a holistic approach and ensure that safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation systems are connected to every house in a village / city.

The combination of lack of resources and the need for awareness is quite dreadful, which is encompassed by an even stronger phenomenon of priority. If prioritized properly, investment can be available. Today the various development agencies in the world have realized that investment just in development and not in disaster management systems is an imprudent choice. Haiti (2009) is one such example where billions of dollars were spent on development and the earthquake resulted in destruction on a tremendous scale. Look at Kashmir and the unfortunate disaster damages faced by the region. By and large, a good job has been done reconstructing the region since many houses built in the reconstruction phase are in compliance with the building codes put by government’s agency Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority. But sadly the buildings in other parts of Pakistan are not following the regulations for which there is need for the regulatory bodies to play their role.

These instances point to the problem of priority. The attitude to rather buy a bigger house than invest in the technology for safer buildings is what we now need to address. In Kashmir for example where everyone knew what’s going to happen, they still failed to act. Similar is the case of 2010 floods. Resources surely are one of the issues but it is as much about giving an issue the right priority as it is about devoting resources for it. Will the post-floods reconstruction cost be less than what would have been required to build proper protection and enforcing regulatory codes? Certainly not! And the floods will come many times again, causing similar or more damage. Strict enforcement by government and regulatory authorities is perhaps the best approach to ensure effective implementation of right priorities.

9. The responsibility for bringing about changes for improving the        environment mainly lies with Governments. What role can the community        play in this regard?

Awareness and activism need to go hand in hand not just for effective disaster response but as a means for better environment management. While recycling waste, cutting energy and water consumption are actions that are directly linked to the conduct of an individual’s everyday life, a good starting point for mass action is the civil society, comprising set of aware individuals (intellectuals, professionals, teachers, media, etc.) taking the lead since they understand these issues and spreading awareness to the masses. An example is a Karachi based civil society organization called ‘Shehri’ which is run purely by volunteers and is doing quite a lot to resolve issues of built environment. Developments have taken place in this regards to an extent that recently building by-laws were legislated for Karachi, in which both the private as well as the public sectors played their part. So a need for civil society organizations to be active for the resolve is an established fact not only to increase awareness levels but also so that peoples’ green attitudes translate into environmentally friendly behavior and concrete actions. Organizations such as The Pakistan Engineering Council and The Architects Society all comprise civil society members and need to proactively take up their role in working towards building a better environment. These organizations can start a self-certifying process to ensure that members of their professions adhere to the necessary standards. Role of the media is inevitable as it possesses the ability to spread the message to the masses about environmental issues and can encourage people to act on their environmental convictions.