South Asia
Pak pollution check The Rawalpindi city district government in Pakistan recently launched a plan to shift industrial units in Rawalpindi city to its suburbs to reduce pollution in the city. The plan requires industrial units causing soil and air pollution in residential areas to be shifted outside the city. The city district is home to over 700 industrial units. The authorities identified industrial units manufacturing leather, furniture and hardboard; and flour mills and brick kilns that were polluting the city. The Rawalpindi city government also proposes shifting compressed natural gas stations and oil refineries to the suburbs.
Jaffna food shortage Jaffna, the capital city of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka, is facing a food shortage. Official reports say wheat flour stocks in Jaffna are very low since shipments of flour had been completely suspended for the past two weeks.With land routes to the region being closed on August 11, 2006, food supplies were being brought in by cargo ships. But this stopped after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacked a ship, City of Liverpool, which was carrying wheat flour stocks to the region on January 21, 2007.
Power crisis in nepal The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) recently increased the duration of load-shedding hours to 40 hours per week. In January, the duration of load-shedding was 21 hours per week. Under the new schedule, the country will have seven hours of load shedding each day in each household for four days; six hours of load shedding for two days and no power cut for one day. Officials claim the load-shedding might increase in the future. The increased power shortage has been attributed to receding water levels in the Indrasarovar reservoir of the Kulekhani Hydroelectric Plant in Makwanpur district. NEA is dependent on the project during winters and dry seasons leading to a fall in the plant's generation capability plant. The country's demand for power is rising 10 per cent annually, while generation is stagnant.
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