Psycho-physical Effects of Environment Pollution on the Health of Kabul Citizens

INTRODUCTION



 The effects of environmental pollution on public health cannot be overlooked because having a healthy and beautiful environment free of any contamination provides the ground for everybody to achieve their maximum physical and mental growth. In such an environment several diseases that can cause physical and mental problems to normal growth are also reduced.



Environmental pollution does not only harm human life, but it also affects all aspects of the mental, social, economic and physical changes in various ways and threatens healthy green life. The psychological dimension of environmental pollution increases the depression of individuals and improves hostile behaviors, whiles the green environment and free of contamination relieves harmful emotions, increases the power of control and management of trauma. The healthy and clean environment also facilitates appropriate social function of individuals and provides an environment in which people can deal with the problems of everyday life and gain the ability to cope with the pressures of life by spending time in the natural environment, and tolerate and mange mental stress in good manner.

In fact, mankind is the only creature that consciously and unconsciously damages the environment. The human activities’ consequences not only threaten human life but also endanger the habitat of other creatures on this planet. Deforestation, reduce of basic resources, growth of industrial and civilian wastes has created unsafe environment that has made living difficult for all creatures on the ground.

Unfortunately, many people do not care about the purity of their environment, while the environment provides the most important humans’ needs, including the need for food and water. In spite of knowing this, in the last few decades, as the population has grown, the process of utilizing land resources has also increased, which has led the environment to suffer ruin and pollution.



Now environmental pollution has become a global problem. Notwithstanding huge expenditures in the preservation of environment, deadly pollution has been increasing in various environments and environmental pollution has become a serious and tangible threat to living animals. Environmental pollutions, for instance, can give rise to respiratory diseases, internal infections caused by water pollution and solid wastes, and mental disorders resulting from physical pain.

There is a lot of research in the field of environmental pollution that each of these studies has examined the issue of pollution from various aspects. The problem that has been seen in this regard is the excessive expansion and complexity of the environment and pollution, which has led the research to take on more theoretical aspects. But what is important here is the effects of environment pollution on health that have caused physical illnesses, such as parasitic and microbial diseases, or various types of cancers for many. Hence, environmental pollution can also be considered as a serious threat to mental health of the inhabitants of the earth.

This research is conducted with collaboration of a team of researchers who are expert in the field of environment and laboratory sciences, and psychology with a high degree of expertise. This is the first organized study in Afghanistan that has tried to examine environmental pollution and its impacts on public health. It also provides a platform for environmental advocacy activities in Afghanistan. It is hoped that this research will be able to pave the way for activities that can improve the mental and physical health of Afghan society.