30
K. Amrutha et al.
etc. They are reported to occur in oceans worldwide [8, 27, 58, 100] with the gyres
being one of the prominent centres for microplastics accumulation [135]. Microplastics can also be a vector for other environmental contaminants such as antibiotics
(González-Pleiter et al. [38] in press), persistent organic pollutants [119], metals,
invasive species, and associated bacterial pathogens [82]. This severely affects the
aquatic organisms which ingest the microplastics [11]. Besides, the microorganisms
can develop biofilms and colonies on these microplastics due to the presence of a
hydrophobic surface [139]. Another essential factor to consider is the rate of degradation of Mps. They can be further degraded by biotic or abiotic factors [64] among
which the abiotic factor, such as photo-oxidation, is the primary mechanism for most
of the abundant polymer types [44]. Fragmentation of microplastic further reduces
their size and increases their surface area, which makes them more susceptible to
further degradation into smaller particles [44]. The microplastic study has high relevance as the United Nations has announced a programme ‘Transforming our World:
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
In 1985, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
was established. The SAARC comprises of eight member countries: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These countries are also known as the developing nations in terms of their economic activities.
As these activities have increased in recent decades, the level of plastic pollution
has also risen. For example, during 2018, the SAARC nations alone produced 17–20
million tonnes (MT) of plastics. Since 2016, these countries have dumped nearly
26.72 MT of plastic wastes. India is one of the greatest economies and highly populated country in SAARC and generates ~26,000 tonnes of plastic/day and around
80% of the total plastic produced in the country ends up in the garbage [59]. The
World Bank has predicted that the plastic production in India will reach 20 MT by
2020, and the amount of plastic waste thus generated will be high. Table 1 shows the
details of the generation of plastic waste in some of the SAARC nations since 2010
[50]. Pakistan (6.41 MT) leads the table followed by India (4.49 MT’s) and the least
was recorded in Maldives (43,134 tonnes) as per the 2010 data. Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka accounted for 1.89 MT’s and 2.62 MT’s of plastic waste.
In this chapter, we present a detailed review of the present knowledge about
the occurrence, distribution, and fate of microplastics in different environmental
compartments of the SAARC countries. This exercise aimed to find the status of
microplastics research in these countries and to find knowledge gaps that can be
Table 1 Quantum of plastic
waste generated by a few
SAARC nations in 2010 [50]
Country
Plastic waste generation
Pakistan
6.41 MT
India
4.49 MT
Sri Lanka
2.62 MT
Bangladesh
1.89 MT
Maldives
43,134 T
K. Amrutha et al.
etc. They are reported to occur in oceans worldwide [8, 27, 58, 100] with the gyres
being one of the prominent centres for microplastics accumulation [135]. Microplastics can also be a vector for other environmental contaminants such as antibiotics
(González-Pleiter et al. [38] in press), persistent organic pollutants [119], metals,
invasive species, and associated bacterial pathogens [82]. This severely affects the
aquatic organisms which ingest the microplastics [11]. Besides, the microorganisms
can develop biofilms and colonies on these microplastics due to the presence of a
hydrophobic surface [139]. Another essential factor to consider is the rate of degradation of Mps. They can be further degraded by biotic or abiotic factors [64] among
which the abiotic factor, such as photo-oxidation, is the primary mechanism for most
of the abundant polymer types [44]. Fragmentation of microplastic further reduces
their size and increases their surface area, which makes them more susceptible to
further degradation into smaller particles [44]. The microplastic study has high relevance as the United Nations has announced a programme ‘Transforming our World:
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
In 1985, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
was established. The SAARC comprises of eight member countries: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These countries are also known as the developing nations in terms of their economic activities.
As these activities have increased in recent decades, the level of plastic pollution
has also risen. For example, during 2018, the SAARC nations alone produced 17–20
million tonnes (MT) of plastics. Since 2016, these countries have dumped nearly
26.72 MT of plastic wastes. India is one of the greatest economies and highly populated country in SAARC and generates ~26,000 tonnes of plastic/day and around
80% of the total plastic produced in the country ends up in the garbage [59]. The
World Bank has predicted that the plastic production in India will reach 20 MT by
2020, and the amount of plastic waste thus generated will be high. Table 1 shows the
details of the generation of plastic waste in some of the SAARC nations since 2010
[50]. Pakistan (6.41 MT) leads the table followed by India (4.49 MT’s) and the least
was recorded in Maldives (43,134 tonnes) as per the 2010 data. Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka accounted for 1.89 MT’s and 2.62 MT’s of plastic waste.
In this chapter, we present a detailed review of the present knowledge about
the occurrence, distribution, and fate of microplastics in different environmental
compartments of the SAARC countries. This exercise aimed to find the status of
microplastics research in these countries and to find knowledge gaps that can be
Table 1 Quantum of plastic
waste generated by a few
SAARC nations in 2010 [50]
Country
Plastic waste generation
Pakistan
6.41 MT
India
4.49 MT
Sri Lanka
2.62 MT
Bangladesh
1.89 MT
Maldives
43,134 T