In a world of higher electricity demand growth, clean electricity is stepping up to the challenge. Spearheaded by exponential solar expansion, clean power is set to grow faster than demand, marking the start of a permanent decline in fossil generation. 2024 both clarified and consolidated the shape of the global …
Pakistan federal minister for environment and local government Omar Asghar Khan has said that the sanctity of Kirthar National Park in Sindh province should be preserved while assessing the gas potential in the area. "Any such effort in this area must proceed in a systematic manner with due consideration to …
The second phase of the anti-polio programme in Pakistan commenced from November 30. Some 7.2 million children under five years will be given polio drops. According to the health department, volunteers and health workers manning more than 30,000 mobile units have been given specific centres in the province for administering …
a government move to allow oil and gas exploration activities in the Kirthar National Park has sparked a major controversy in Pakistan. Situated 80 km north of Karachi in the southwest of Sindh province, the park was declared a wildlife sanctuary on October 28, 1972 and was eventually declared a …
Two-stroke engines are adding to air pollution in Karachi, say newspaper reports. According to experts, these engines fitted in motorcycles, rickshaws and several thousand four-wheelers are contributing more than 50 per cent of the air pollution, particularly in more congested areas of the city. Inter-sections, where air pollution is the …
Only one-third of the estimated 4.20 million hectare (ha) forest area, or 4.8 per cent of Pakistan's total geographical area, is productive. The remaining two-third is maintained for environmental protection. According to sources, the forest sector, owing to very small productive forest area in the country, contributed about 0.1 per …
A large number of public transport vehicles using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) kits have been withdrawn by their owners in Karachi, Pakistan, following an increase in the gas prices. According to reports, owners are reportedly converting their vehicles to diesel to protect themselves against the unbearable hike in gas prices. …
n Baluchistan, Pakistan, a new breed of bulls and cows have been developed by the livestock department for increasing milk yield. The new breed will provide more meat and dairy products. According to officials, this new breed is the result of crossbreeding and artificial insemination services under a programme for …
Residents and non-governmental organisations ( ngo s) in Karachi's south district are complaining of piling garbage. They say that the collection system is unsatisfactory and this can lead to an epidemic. In many localities, particularly in the old city, such as Lyari, Mehmoodabad and some other poor settlements, roads and …
The water crisis in Shahdadkot and Mirokhan villages in Pakistan has worsened posing serious threats to the rice crop. In almost all the villages, farmers carrying dried rice seeds disputed the claims of irrigation department officials that only a small area was without water. This was noted during a visit …
The Punjab state government of Pakistan has approved a Rs 15.5-million grant for a project to study the impact of pesticides and fertilisers. The project is called "Effects of agro-chemicals on soil, water and crops'. According to official sources, efforts will also be made to popularise integrated pest management (IPM) …
Pakistan natural gas reserves will be depleted by year 2010-2015 before new discoveries are made, petroleum minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan informed the National Assembly. "If consumption of existing resources continues at a fast pace, these reserves will be depleted before new gas reserves can be discovered,' he said. The …
According to environmentalists in Pakistan, there is no disaster management plan for the 149,837 fisherfolk families settled along the 30 kilometres of the Karachi coastline, in case of any emergency as was experienced during the recent cyclone. For a city like Karachi, most of which is constructed around sea level …
the damage was staggering and the destruction, complete. One of worst cyclones in Pakistan’s history left a trail of death and devastation in the districts of Thatta and Badin in the southern province of Sindh on May 20, 1999. Tidal waves as high as six metres hit many villages in …
the Pakistan government is planning to replace about 100,000 two-stroke engine autorickshaws with four-stroke engines to check the growing air and noise pollution in the cities. A delegation of leading manufacturers of autorickshaws recently held a meeting with the officials of the environment ministry and presented a proposal to the …
THERE are more reasons against than in favour of the Pakistan government's decision to build the Diamer dam in the Kohistan district of the north west frontier province (nwfp) along the Karakorum Highway (kh). Experts say that the dam will cause serious environmental damage to the entire region, besides being …
Pakistan's Punjab government has decided to launch a campaign to check marketing of substandard zinc sulphate used by farmers to get a higher yield of rice crop. The additional secretary (planning) Arif Nadeem said that the use of substandard zinc sulphate was the major factor responsible for low rice yield …
PEOPLE living in the cities of Pakistan are consuming fruits and vegetables heavily contaminated with pesticides, says Inayatullah Chaudhry, advisor for sustainable development at the United Nations' Development Programme (undp) in Islamabad. The government has never shown any inclination to address the issue, but it may soon be forced to …
The World Bank will provide us $300 million during 1999-2000 to Pakistan for expanding phase-2 of the Social Action Programme (SAP). A high-level World Bank review mission will soon arrive in Pakistan to formally approve assistance. The bank had earlier disbursed US $270 million for 1998-99. The expansion of SAP-2 …
Pakistan will become the first country in South Asia when Viagra, the anti-impotency drug, will be made available through over-the-counter sales. The pill is expected to hit the shelves all over the country sometime this month. "It may be another feather in the present government's cap that it took Pakistan …
A vehicular pollution, noise as well smoke, control campaign will be jointly launched by the traffic police and the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in Pakistan. However, representatives of the transporters have warned that unless their grievances such as provision of unadulterated fuel and genuine spare parts, were not redressed …
