ISLAMABAD - The first-ever “Water Conservation Bill” drafted by Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) is still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology, which would
Food security is a major challenge and requires long term measures in a country like Pakistan. This was stated by the Secretary, Livestock and Fisheries Department, Government of Sindh, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Department and WWF-Pakistan's Indus for All Programme. Speaking on the occasion, he further said that the Department would extend full cooperation to WWF-Pakistan to achieve the objectives of the MoU.
Pakistan is making all-out efforts for the protection of Ozone Layer and has, so far, implemented 32 projects for phasing out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). Iftikhar Ahmed, Technical Expert, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment, said while talking to TheNation here on Thursday. He informed that Pakistan had agreed along with 191 other countries to phase out chemicals responsible for depleting Ozone layer by the year 2010 under an international treaty called Montreal Protocol, which Pakistan had ratified in 1992.
As many as 15 districts of Punjab have been declared high risk areas by the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the communicable diseases, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea. The warning has been issued based on reports showing alarming increase in the number of patients in these districts suffering from the above-mentioned diseases. The districts include: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Khushab, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Kasur, Bahawalnagar, Multan, Muzaffargarh, DG Khan, Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhang, Mandi Bahuddin and Narowal.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Midway Consortium decided to launch CNG buses on different routes of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It would make the transport system more effective and would also reduce the commuters rush on the bus stops The commuters were facing difficulties after termination of Varan Tours. At that time Varan was providing comfortable travelling facility to the commuters of the twin cities but the service was terminated due to certain reasons.
Myanmar said Monday that more than 10,000 people had been killed in the cyclone that tore into the impoverished and secretive Asian nation at the weekend, and tens of thousands more may also have died. Faced with the devastation, Foreign Minister Nyan Win said his reclusive nation would welcome international aid, as neighbouring countries and the United Nations said they were ready to assist in the recovery.
Experts on Sunday said that the disease of asthma had turned into an alarming condition as about 10 per cent of children in Pakistan were suffering from this disorder, while 5 to 10 per cent of the adult population in the country was suffering from this condition.
As scarcity of water has badly hit the country inflicting heavy damage to its industry and agriculture, the Punjab irrigation department has decided to launch massive crackdown against powerful
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has so far handed over about 50,000 environment friendly CNG rickshaws worth more than Rs 5.5 billion to applicants all over Pakistan under its Rozgar scheme. This was stated by the Group Chief Consumer Banking NBP Aamir Siddiqui in an interview here Monday. He said that about 75,000 applicants have been registered so far under the scheme involving a total amount of Rs 7.5 billion. He pointed out 20,000 registered applicants are waiting for the deliveries of CNG rickshaws from the manufacturers.
Outbreaks of malaria are being reported in various parts of the province of Sindh, with local people blaming the authorities for failing to carry out preventive measures, including the spraying of insecticide to kill mosquitoes during the pre-spring breeding season. In Shikarpur District, upper Sindh, Mohammad Thaaral Channa, malaria superintendent for the district health authorities, said over 100 positive cases of malaria had been reported in malaria centres in the district over the past three months, IRIN, the UN information unit quoted him as saying in a report.
Sixteen percent of the filtered water supplied to Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) is infected with bacteria, revealed a recent survey conducted by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak EPA) over the filtration plants installed in Islamabad. According to the report, four out of the total 24 functional filtration plants in the federal Capital give out contaminated water even after filtration, which, as the report stated, was rich with bacteria besides other health-risking ingredients. The sectors where these plants are situated are I-9/1, I-10/1, G-9/2 and I-10/2.
