Journal of Nautical Eye and Strategic Studies

Marine Pollution at Karachi Harbour: Challenges and Way Forward for Progress Towards SDG-14

2026-06-12T07:55:41+00:00

Marine pollution is a critical issue in Pakistan, especially at Karachi Harbor, because it is of great importance and have long lasting impact on international trade. On one hand, it is decreasing marine biodiversity while on the other it has devastating effects on coastal communities. To mitigate and reduce the severity, there are several national level initiatives such as National Marine Disaster Contingency Plan (NMDCP), National Maritime Policy, enforced by Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA). In addition to it, the BARRACUDA Exercise has also been designed to enhance a coordinated response against marine pollution especially incidents of oil spills. Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan SP-III is one of the major steps taken to address the issue of sewerage water that enters directly into sea and is harmful for the marine life. SDG-14 provides an international commitment to conserve ‘life below water’ and preservation of livelihood through the available marine resources along with the conservation of trade.

An Assessment of Plastic Pollution in The Coastal Areas of Balochistan

2026-06-12T07:24:14+00:00

Coastal areas of Balochistan have remained isolated from mainstream development in Pakistan for the past decades, and it was only after 2000 that major developmental projects were implemented in the area. The construction of the Makran Coastal Highway has provided reliable access to isolated settlements, villages, and towns along the coastal area of Balochistan. A major increase in the population in some coastal towns has taken place in the wake of the development of the Gwadar Deep Sea port and the implementation of projects under the aegis of CPEC. One of the negative impacts of the development is a noticeable increase in marine pollution in the area. Due to major inadequacies in the disposal of garbage in some of the large population centers, plastic pollution has increased substantially over the past two decades. An analysis of marine debris, including plastic on some important beaches, was undertaken in 2006 and compared with the level in 2025. The study revealed a major increase in plastic pollution in coastal towns, including Damb, Ormara, Pasni, Gunz, and Jiwani, which is noticeable in the garbage heaps within the towns and also on their beaches. The quantity of plastic pollution has increased substantially in Gwadar, mainly because of the noticeable population explosion; however, the city has comparatively a better garbage collection system and disposal at the authorized dumpsite, which resulted in a major decrease in plastic pollution on the beaches of both bays of Gwadar (Demi Zur and Pedi Zur), as compared to the 2007 data.

Pakistan’s Perspective and Role in the BBNJ Agreement: Interests, Responsibilities, and Global Divergences

2026-06-12T07:27:48+00:00

The global agreement of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction BBNJ is the most anticipated one to be soon enforced effectively. This agreement is a clear depiction of efforts made globally to complete it and to give a final shape. The research paper intends to highlight the perspective and role of Pakistan in the BBNJ agreement amid global participation to the agreement using descriptive method of research. This study goes deep into efforts and views by developing countries in their inter-governmental conference (IGC) sessions towards finalizing the BBNJ agreement as an international legally binding agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Marine genetic resources, concept of sea as common heritage of humankind and omitting fish from the scope of BBNJ agreement are looked into in this manuscript. The focus is on the great geographical position of Pakistan having extensive coastal line thus emphasizing the importance of BBNJ agreement for Pakistan. Pakistan’s active participation in the BBNJ discussions and its representation of group of 77 developing countries (G-77) at the United Nations is undeniable. Besides paying a big appreciation to its great contributions into BBNJ discussions, this study reveals that Pakistan still requires updating its respective policy development and data to welcoming and taking up the BBNJ agreement more effectively. This discrepancy can be dealt with a mindful and industrious conduct.

Sustainable Drinking Water Solutions for Resilient Metropolitan Cities: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Pathways

2026-06-12T07:32:21+00:00

Globally, consuming water demanding situations have intensified because of rapid urbanization, climate-precipitated hydrological stress, populace boom, and getting old infrastructure systems. making sure sustainable, safe, and equitable get right of entry to potable water is now an important precedence for public health safety, economic stability, and long-term urban resilience (Silva 2023a; UN DESA 2023; WHO 2023). Metropolitan cities, specifically in growing regions, face compounded risks springing up from water shortage, pollutants, governance fragmentation, and socio-economic inequality (Mukherjee et al., 2022; OECD 2021). This paper examines included and scalable answers for sustainable consuming water provision in metropolitan environments, emphasizing decentralized remedy technology, nature-primarily based systems, clever water management, and network-centered governance fashions. Technological improvements such as net of factors (IoT)-primarily based tracking, strength-efficient desalination, wastewater recycling, and rainwater harvesting are severely assessed for his or her role in enhancing urban water safety (Asano et al. 2021; Liu et al. 2023; Shamshad & Ur Rehman 2025). In parallel, the study analyzes coverage gaps, institutional barriers, financing constraints, and social recognition demanding situations that impact implementation outcomes (Ahmed et al., 2025; AL-Rikabi et al., 2025). A systems-primarily based, climate-resilient framework supported via multi-stakeholder collaboration amongst governments, academia, non-public region actors, and civil society is proposed as essential for sustainable metropolitan water planning (IPCC, 2023; UNEP, 2022). The study contributes to coverage and practice via outlining pathways to enhance water quality, lessen deliver inequities, protect urban ecosystems, and guard the nicely-being of gift and destiny urban populations.

Legal Feasibility and Institutional Convergence under UNCLOS: Addressing Contemporary Maritime Security Challenges

2026-06-12T07:37:03+00:00

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) remains the cornerstone of international maritime law; however, it was negotiated within a geopolitical context that differs significantly from today's interconnected maritime environment. This paper examines the limitations of UNCLOS in addressing contemporary maritime security challenges, including illicit maritime trade, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and piracy, which threaten the security of sea lines of communication and undermine the sustainability of the blue economy. Drawing upon convergence theory and liberal institutionalism, the study argues that growing economic interdependence, shared vulnerabilities, and transnational maritime risks have generated structural incentives for greater regulatory convergence among coastal and trading states. Despite these converging interests, UNCLOS continues to rely on fragmented jurisdictional arrangements and sovereignty-based obligations that constrain effective cooperation and unevenly distribute enforcement responsibilities. From a liberal institutionalist perspective, the Convention lacks adequate institutional mechanisms to facilitate coordination, incentivize collective action, and harmonize enforcement practices across maritime domains. The paper situates UNCLOS within broader debates on legal adaptability and institutional reform in international relations, emphasizing that the effectiveness of international law depends not only on normative legitimacy but also on political and economic alignment among states. It concludes that targeted reforms incorporating liberal institutionalist principles are necessary to strengthen maritime governance, enhance collaborative security efforts, safeguard global sea lanes, and promote the long-term sustainability of the blue economy.

Hydrometeorological Assessment of Water Budget Components in Rawalpindi Division, Pakistan: An ERA5 Reanalysis and Machine Learning Approach

2026-06-12T07:43:56+00:00

This paper provides a hydro-meteorological evaluation of the Rawalpindi Division in Pakistan, based on ERA5 reanalysis information between February 2015 and December 2025 coupled with machine learning to measure trends. Water budgeting estimated dynamics of precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, soil moisture and change in storage over 131 months of consecutive observations. The findings indicated that the average monthly precipitation was 72.68 mm with extensive variability (CV = 87%), which is very monsoon seasonal. The major water loss process was evapotranspiration, which used 93.8 percent of the received precipitation, which is many times higher than the Mediterranean climate limit. Monsoon (July-September) added 47.8 percent of precipitation in a year, yielded positive storage (+25.31 mm/month) and severe water stress ( -40.03 mm) was found in non-parametric Mann-Kendall trend analysis which showed significant negative trends in runoff (Kendall -0.209, p = 0.0004) and soil moisture (Kendall -0.155, p = 0.0087). Ordinary least squares optimization was used to estimate the magnitude and rate of change in temporal trends and to estimate the learning rates of the change, using the basic supervised machine learning algorithm, which is linear regression. The SCS-CN technique enabled the estimation of the runoff in terms of land cover and soil properties. The analysis of the inter-annual variability found that 2016 was an extreme drought year that had cumulative storage depletion of -155.27 mm compared with 2020 that had the highest wetness of +107.14 mm storage. Thematic maps analysis showed that the patterns of distribution were uneven throughout the study area. The findings reveal that there are gross weaknesses in the water balance in the region that require strengthening water harvesting infrastructure and sustainable management practices.