Lahore High Court Justice Shabbar Raza Rizvi on Wednesday, in response to a petition, imposed a ban on the use of polythene bags throughout the province. The petition submitted by Khurram Khan advocate claimed that polythene bags were in common use without consideration of the fact that they posed a serious health threat. He claimed that polythene bags contributed to flooding as they choked drainage systems, resulting in the spread of disease and creating problems for the provincial and city governments. He said that the bags also caused soil infertility and caused damage to marine life, adding that black polythene bags also posed the risk of cancer. The petition said that the dumping of polythene bags was not safe due to their non-biodegradable nature, whilst recycling was a costly affair, which would burden already limited government resources. He pointed out that, according to researchers, it took thousands of years to decompose polythene, and their burning released toxic gases that could cause respiratory problems. Khan said that the government should take steps to create awareness among people and to encourage the use of alternatives like paper, jute and other biodegradable bags. He said that polythene bags had been banned in Bangladesh and Mumbai, when they had choked the drainage system and caused flooding. He also said that the government had taken no steps to curb their household and commercial use. He claimed that the Ministry of Environment and the Environment Protection Agency were not aware of the dangers posed by these bags, adding that he had written letters to various departments in this regard, but had not received any response. He requested that the court prohibit the use of polythene bags and promote the use of other options. staff report