Stakeholder Consultations on Marine Litter Actions in Pakistan Under Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) Project

The PLEASE Project has driven transformative progress by tackling land-based plastic leakage along the river-to-sea continuum in Pakistan. Through detailed snapshot assessments quantifying plastic pollution across Lahore’s riverine systems—covering a ~109 km stretch from Wagah Border to Nankana Sahib focusing on the Ravi River corridor (including Main Ravi Bridge, Park View backside, Old Ravi Bridge side, Saggian Bridge, Ravi Road corridor, and adjacent drainage outfalls and settlements)—and Karachi’s coastal areas—covering a 37.2 km coastal stretch and 4.51 km of the Lyari Expressway across inland communities (Agra Taj, Maripur, Hingorabad, Bihar Colony, Shershah, Gulbai, Dhobi Ghat, Garden East), coastal hotspots (Clifton, DHA Phases 01–08), and industrial/creek-linked areas (Malir, Korangi, Bin Qasim Town)—the project successfully mapped critical waste pathways and pollution densities. Furthermore, this was supported by a community consultation in Karachi featuring approximately 50 participants across ages 20–75 (58% male and 42% female) alongside fishermen, the Pakistan Fisher Forums, youth groups, women, informal waste pickers, and civil society, as well as a multi-stakeholder national consultation in Islamabad convening nearly 70 participants (57% male and 43% women) across federal and provincial ministries, EPAs, municipal authorities, NGOs/CBOs, academia, private sectors, and industry leaders. These rigorous assessments and inclusive dialogues, alongside innovative pilot interventions like recycled-plastic drain covers, refill stations, and reverse vending machines, fostered robust cross-sector collaboration, empowering local communities, fishermen, and institutional stakeholders to champion sustainable circular economy practices.