This study aims to understand how climate-related risks and hazards are reshaping traditional avenues of job entry and employment, particularly for young people in Pakistan. This brief is aimed at policymakers,
Citizens braved prolonged power load-shedding, coupled with frequent breakdowns, on Tuesday as the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation failed to meet the overall power demand despite the restoration of supply from a power generation unit of Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station. Sources in the power utility told Dawn that the Unit No 6 of Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station, which was shut down for repairs on Sunday morning when it developed a technical fault, came back into operation on Tuesday though it produced much below its original capacity of 170 megawatts.
A joint team of scientists of the Sindh University and doctors of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences on Tuesday detected skin diseases among four villagers caused by consumption of arsenic-heavy underground water in Arbab Allah Bux village near Tando Allahyar. The team led by eminent scientist Prof Dr Mohammad Yar Khuhawar, project director of High-tech Research Central Laboratory of Sindh University, visited the village after tests conducted earlier confirmed high arsenic levels in underground water of the village.
Alarmed by the recent reports of laboratory-confirmed polio-virus cases in Sindh, some highly designated international experts on polio eradication are rushing to Karachi to review the long prevailing supplementary immunisation activities and find out the loopholes. A source privy to the immunization initiatives in the province said that an emergency meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on Polio Eradication for Pakistan had been convened on June 24 and 25 at Karachi to review progress on "interrupting wild polio transmission'.
Government efforts to explore new vistas of alternative energy and overcome energy crisis has been further strengthened with a bio-diesel project launched by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB). A pilot project to electrify a village using bio diesel on the basis of self-generation is underway in Goth Umar Din Arain of Ghora Bari taluka, Thatta district. According to the AEBD website, the Economic Coordination Committee of the Federal Cabinet has approved a policy to introduce the use of bio diesel as an alternative fuel.
Hundreds of Pakistan Railways workers staged a demonstration and a sit-in in Loco Shed, Rohri on Tuesday, in protest against scarcity of water and lack of sanitation in their locality. They told journalists that their locality had no water for a week and they were forced to fetch water from far-flung areas.
Legislators from both sides in the National Assembly on Tuesday emphasised on developing agriculture sector through supporting small growers to prevent the present wheat crisis-like situation. They were unanimous for promoting the agri sector to avoid the possible food crisis being faced by the region, and proposed elimination of interest on small loans. The recommendations came on the third day of budget debate in the Lower House where a large number of members from both sides spoke on the annual budget.
The Sindh government has introduced 'Land Grant Policy' for poor farmers in the 2008-09 Budget for 'absolute' elimination of feudalism from the province. "Absolutely, this is to eliminate feudalism and change this (feudal) mindset," Sindh Minister for Information Shazia Marri told Business Recorder when asked if the Policy, under which 212000 acres land would be granted to landless farmers, could be termed as a step towards elimination of feudalism in the province.
Water and Power Development Authority has so far stored more than four million acre feet water in three reservoirs - Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma - which reached dead level on May 11, 2008. Wapda is storing half of the current inflows of rivers Indus and Jhelum in Tarbela and Mangla dams respectively and releasing 0.32 million cusecs water of the Indus, Jhelum, Kabul and Chenab for sowing of Kharif crop. The position of the river inflows/outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages on Tuesday morning was as under:
The Directorate of Animal Husbandry Sindh has established 212 Veterinary Aid Centres (VAC) throughout the province besides a Field Work Emergency Cell (FWEC) has also been set up to monitor and co-ordinate the functioning of these VAC centres. This was stated by Director Animal Husbandry Sindh Dr Ghulam Sarwar Shaikh while briefing the media about precautionary measures adopted by his management to provide relief to the animal breeders during the monsoon season at his office on Tuesday.
The NWFP government, in its budget for fiscal 2008-09, has targeted the resolution of the problems of food and security in the province. "Handsome sanctions of funds have been made for the resolution of these two problems faced by the province," said NWFP Finance Minister Mohammad Hamayun Khan in a post-budget press conference here in the Cabinet Room of the Civil Secretariat.
