Pakistan certifies first organic cotton bale
Balochistan on Wednesday marked the certification of Pakistan's first organic cotton bale at a ceremony held at Kot Sabzal. Balochistan's Minister for Agriculture Engineer Zamrak Khan said the provincial
Dawn (Pakistan)
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Federal govt bans import of big cats
The federal government has banned the import of tigers, lions and other big cat species. According to highly placed sources, earlier, the federal government, following regular incidents of smuggling of big cats by certain wildlife traffickers, which were exposed by the media while the official regulators either remained unaware or were hand in glove with the traffickers, had refused to entertain any requests for permission from these traffickers for the import of big cats till their cases were disposed of.
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Australia offers expertise in environmental protection
The Australian High Commissioner in Islamabad Zorica McCarthy who called on the Minister for Environment, Hameedullah Jan Afridi on Friday, stressed the need of cooperation on the issues of environment particularly climate change.
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Water pollution causing disease, workshop told
The University of Sindh Vice-Chancellor Dr Mazharul Haq Siddiqui has said that deterioration in water quality due to contamination of lakes, rivers and groundwater aquifers has led to increased waterborne diseases and other health hazards. He said at the inaugural session of a workshop on "Urban Water Demand Management' organised by the university's Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry (NCEAC) on Wednesday that Pakistan needed to formulate policies on a war-footing to balance water withdrawals by recharging resources.
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Nazim, officials charged with illegal tree cutting
The National Accountability Bureau, NWFP, has filed a reference in the accountability court against 13 people, charging them with inflicting a loss of Rs56.577 million to the exchequer through illegal cutting of trees in the Hazara tribal forest division. According to the NAB, the accused, including four employees of the forest department and a tehsil nazim, had managed to admix a large volume of illegally-cut timber with genuine timber of joint forest management committees (JFMCs).
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CM turns attention to potable water supply: Pipeline survey ordered
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered a complete survey of water supply lines and replacement of rusty and eroded ones, besides installation of maximum filter plants in the province. He also ordered audit of different projects being executed by the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC), a handout said. He was presiding over a meeting to discuss supply of potable water to the people here on Tuesday.
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Loadshedding sparks off violence: Case against 2,000 protesters
Unbridled loadshedding provoked massive outburst of public sentiments against the electricity companies on Tuesday as the citizens converging in thousands at the city railway station clashed with police after resorting to violence. Protests were held in many other parts of the province also in reaction to enhanced loadshedding duration. The protest in Okara took an ugly turn when a large number of people, prominent among them traders, occupied the main track at the city railway station, stopping the Lahore-bound Quetta Express for three hours.
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Plastic recycling poses risk to citizens' health
A large number of factories associated with the informal recycling industry in the city burn plastic in residential areas and release hazardous fumes into the air. While the people worst affected by the burning of tons of plastic every day are the workforce employed at such factories
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Gastroenteritis on the rise
About 150 people have reportedly been admitted to the hospitals and health centres of the district for gastroenteritis during last 48 hours.
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Growers protest water shortage
More than 100 growers of Imam minor, Sobhodero taluka staged a sit-in on Sobhodero-Saghiyoon Road on Saturday in protest against irrigation water shortage since last four months. They also burnt tyres and raised slogans against the authorities. Later, they reached the press club and observed hunger strike. Arab Mangnejo, Khadim and others told reporters that their crops, including cotton and sugarcane were being damaged due to water shortage. They also informed of having met irrigation officials several times but their problems remain where these were.
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Research on extracting pesticide from water
A PhD final seminar was held on Friday at the National Centre of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh.