NEWSCLIPPINGS

JANUARY TO JUNE 2017

ENVIRONMENT

Urban Resource Centre A-2, 2nd floor, Westland Trade Centre, Block 7&8, C-5, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Karachi.

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‘Governance crisis will exacerbate impact of climate change on Karachi’

Given the governance-related crisis Karachi is facing, climate change will have profound impacts on its urban infrastructure systems and services, its built environment and ecosystem services, and therefore on its urban population and economy. The scale of these impacts will very likely exacerbate the existing social and economic tensions and environmental drivers of risk, especially for marginalised and low-income groups lacking basic services, warns a recently prepared report. Titled Drivers of Climate Change Vulnerability at Different Scales in Karachi, the report is produced by the Human Settlements Research Group of the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development under a project. It is authored by a three-member team comprising experts on urban planning, development and environmental issues — Arif Hasan, Arif Pervaiz and Mansoor Raza. As a counterpoint to the discussion on vulnerability at the institutional level — in terms of governance challenges and the politics guiding it — four working-class settlements of Karachi (Rehri Goth, Pahar Gunj, Machhar Colony and Labour Square) were surveyed under the project with a view to understanding their layout, the lived experience of people residing there and the social, economic and related issues as well as the challenges facing the residents. The survey‘s findings constitute an important part of the report that discusses the state of basic services in Karachi and the vulnerability (to climate change) this engenders. It includes an analysis of specific city trends that are increasing the vulnerability of residents and the city as well as providing a list of recommendations with the conclusions drawn from the assessment. Dangerous land use Pointing to the potentially dangerous land use practices currently in place in the city, the report warns that they ―foretell of more serious ecological impacts in the city. Sensitive areas are being occupied (for example, drainage channels are being blocked by formal and informal developments), green cover is decreasing, open spaces are shrinking and, in areas such as Machhar Colony and Rehri Goth, land is being reclaimed in potentially dangerous ways that will endanger those who build their homes on it.‖ Karachi, according to the report, has no social housing, and government policy requires that even the poor access homes from the market, which does not cater to low-income groups which, in the absence of assets and formal-sector jobs, also do not have access to credit from housing banks. The solution to this requires major political changes in the ‗privatisation‘ ideology and involves bringing state land into the low-cost housing market. It calls upon the government to reduce basic service deficits and improve infrastructure systems (water supply, sanitation, storm water and waste water drains, solid waste disposal, transport and telecommunications, healthcare, education and emergency response), which, it says, can significantly reduce hazard exposure and vulnerability to climate change, especially for those who are most at risk and vulnerable. ―The interconnected nature of current development imperatives, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation can best be pursued under a comprehensive climate change adaptation strategy and action plan. An important part of such a plan will be improvements in the existing institutions of governance and the creation of strong horizontal linkages between them,‖ it says. Karachi‘s coast, it says, is daily receiving ever-decreasing river flow and more than 450 million gallons of raw sewage. As population pressure and economic compulsions continue to make land for housing unaffordable, vulnerable people are being pushed into ecologically risky areas in search of land for homes.

Unplanned densification The process of (unplanned) densification will continue because there are no ideas or planning processes in place that will be able to bridge the demand/supply gap in housing. ―Impending climate change will likely have a huge impact on the coastal and fishing communities, so any climate adaptation strategy must begin by understanding and responding to the challenges these communities face,‖ it says. Migration, the report points out, would continue to increase due to changes in the rural economy, cropping patterns and increases in the rural population, and so anticipating the nature and scale of migration and dealing with migrants and their needs and impacts would have to become an essential part of urban planning in the city. ―So far, issues related to migration do not figure in Karachi‘s strategic development plan except as numbers. However, various academic studies are under way; how these can help politicians and planners take informed decisions needs to be understood and promoted,‖ it says. Basic survival major worry Findings of the community surveys showed that the basic survival needs (food, health expenditure and utilities) constituted the bulk of their household expenditure and were also the main source of worry; this, combined with no reported instances of savings, implied that people lived from ―hand to mouth‖, leaving them with little or no financial resources to draw upon in times of need. The provision of basic services such as adequate solid waste collection and easy availability of clean drinking water was found inadequate in all four settlements while flooding was considered as a major concern by all communities. ―More than two-thirds of respondents reported that at the time of a disaster, community/neighbours and, to a lesser extent, NGOs, provided assistance, with a very small number reporting receiving help from government sources,‖ the report says. Many of the issues highlighted in the report relate to the governance systems. In Karachi, due to the prevailing adversarial relationship between the two main political entities, the report authors believe, city-level institutions have been battered out of shape or destroyed. ―So new, responsive and representative institutions are needed, that can better plan, organise and deliver improved services (health, education, water, sanitation) that meet the minimum requirements of the city‘s residents — especially the poor and marginalised. Residents are not hopeful, as they distrust the state and consider it corrupt,‖ the report says. The authors hope that with the ―combined pressure from civil society, chambers of commerce and industry, academia, trade unions, and shopkeepers and market operators associations, the two major political parties can be brought closer together to overcome the governance-related crisis of Karachi.‖ (Faiza Ilyas Dawn 17, 05/01/2017)

‘2,200 industrial units polluting Lyari River’ Treatment plant set up in New Karachi 20 years ago now out of order, judicial commission told

Untreated effluent of 2,200 units of North Karachi‘s industrial zone is being dumped into the Lyari River, a judicial commission was told on Thursday. Mirza Mohammad Husnain, secretary general of the North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry, appeared before the judicial body investigating into non-provision of

potable water, sanitation and healthy environment to the people of Sindh.

Husnain told the commission that the ZM Corporation had signed a contract to dispose of garbage produced by 2,200 industrial units of different types, but all the industrial waste was being discharged into the Lyari River without treatment. He said a treatment plant was set up in New Karachi‘s Gabol Town around two decades ago, but it had stopped functioning. Rehan Zeeshan, CEO of Federal B Area Association of Trade & Industry, told the judicial body that 300 industrial units under their jurisdiction had hired a private contractor for disposing of garbage. He admitted that there was no treatment plant for handling effluent or waste produced by the industrial units, but claimed that apart from a few units no one else was dumping toxic or otherwise hazardous effluent into the river. Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, director (technical) of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), informed the commission that the industries had been divided into three categories. ―Category ‗A‘ includes industries producing severely hazardous effluent, for which a treatment plant is necessary. Category ‗B‘ includes industries producing effluent relevantly less hazardous than that of the Category ‗A‘ units, but these industries also require a treatment plant. Category ‗C‘ includes mainly dry units that either do not produce hazardous effluent or produce it within the permissible standard.‖ He, however, admitted that no survey had hitherto been conducted to identify the units falling into the above-mentioned categories, adding that representatives of the industrial units‘ associations had made assurances that they would cooperate with Sepa in the survey so that immediate steps could be taken to address the issue of discharging untreated industrial effluent into the sea. The judicial commission directed Sepa to conduct a survey to identify industrial units dumping hazardous effluent into the sea, and submit a report within the next four weeks. Headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, the commission also summoned the DIG, the SSP and the commissioner of the West Zone in court along with records of action being taken against the encroachment near the Manghopir filter plant. Karachi Water & Sewerage Board staff at the Manghopir filter plant informed the body about the illegal sand excavation and encroachment in the area, expressing fear that it was a major threat to the plant‘s infrastructure that could cave in. Justice Kalhoro also inspected the drains of Korangi and Defence areas, from where effluent was being discharged into the sea. The judicial body also issued show-cause notices to presidents of the Landhi Association of Trade & Industry and the Korangi Association of Trade & Industry for not appearing before the court despite being served with notices, and directed both of them to appear on January 13. (By Jamal Khurshid The News 13, 13/01/2017)

SEPA told to survey factories dumping waste into sea

The Sindh Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) was ordered on Thursday to survey all factories producing hazardous waste and dumping it into the sea without treatment. The survey report is due within four days, said the judicial commission set up to probe the allegations that the Sindh government has failed to provide clean drinking water and proper sanitation.

Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro of the Sindh High Court, who is heading the commission established in compliance of the Supreme Court orders, issued these directives after Sepa director Waqar Hussain admitted that the agency had not conducted any survey to identify the industrial units falling within any of its three categories. Environmental hazard: SEPA comes down hard on Sindh’s sugar mills He explained that the industries falling in the A category produce severe hazardous or poisonous effluents, therefore, it is mandatory for them to install waste-water-treatment plants. Those in the B category also produce hazardous and poisonous effluent but it is relatively lesser in volume than those in the A category, he added. The C category comprises mainly dry units, which either do not produce any hazardous effluent or produce then within permissible standards. However, no survey has been conducted to identify such units, he admitted. Meanwhile, North Karachi Industrial Area Association‘s secretary-general Mirza Muhammad Hussain told the commission that 2,200 industrial units of varying categories are operating in the North Karachi Industrial Area. The garbage was being removed by ZM Corporations under a contract, he said. He admitted, however, that industrial effluent and waste was being discharged in the Lyari River through the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) pipelines network ‗without any treatment.‘ A treatment plant was installed in Gabol Town more than 20 years ago but it was not functional, he said. For his part, FB Area Industrial Area Association‘s chief executive officer Rehan Zeeshan said 300 industrial units were installed in his area. The garbage was being removed through a contractor but there was no plant to treat industrial waste, he said, adding that most units were not producing any hazardous and toxic effluents. Health hazard: SEPA expresses concerns over water supplied to Hyderabad The secretaries-general of the two industrial areas‘ association said they were ready to cooperate with Sepa for the survey and identify which categories the industrial units fell under. The commission also issued show-cause notices to the presidents of the Landhi and Korangi industrial areas associations to explain why they had failed to appear in court despite being served notices. They were directed to appear on Friday (today) before the commission with their explanations. Earlier, Justice Kalhoro visited the water reservoirs in Manghopir and took note of excessive excavation of sand and gravel by private contractors and its impact on the environment as well as the reservoir. The commission issued notices to the West Range DIG, district West‘s deputy commissioner and West SSP to appear with their reports today. (By Naeem Sahoutara The Express Tribune 13, 13/01/2017)

‘Marine pollution costing Pakistan billions of rupees’

Utter neglect towards marine pollution costs Pakistan billions of rupees every year that includes the huge expenditures the country incurs on account of vessel repair and maintenance, as constant flow of untreated toxic effluent towards the sea has doubled (metal) corrosion rate. This was stated by Director General of Ports and Shipping Asad Rafi Chandna while talking to journalists on Friday at Jetty No18 of West Wharf, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), where a judicial commission had arrived to observe the level of marine pollution at the harbour. The commission, led by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, has recently been tasked by the Supreme Court to submit a report on environmental degradation and failure of the state in providing clean drinking water and sanitation facilities in the province.

―Some 25 years ago, these waters were blue where one could see dolphins. Today, marine life is extinct because the harbour has become one hundred per cent polluted,‖ Mr Chandna said while referring to a study according to which around four million gallons of municipal and industrial waste was discharged into the sea daily. Advertisement According to him, the Pakistan Navy alone incurs a loss of Rs1bn annually on vessel repair and maintenance as (metal) corrosion rate owing to toxic effluent in the seawater has doubled. He regretted the fact that all the three government waste treatment plants were lying closed while the cost of Greater Karachi Sewage Treatment Project, better known as S-III, pending since 2007, had increased from Rs8 billion to Rs39bn due to delay in its completion. ―There is neither an effective regulatory mechanism to force industries to treat their waste at source, nor surveillance of increasing marine pollution. If the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board lacks sufficient funds to build a treatment plant, the children of this city and multinational companies can do that,‖ he remarked, describing the neglect as criminal. Saeed Baloch of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, accompanying the commission, spoke about the misery of local residents who suffered not only loss of livelihood, but also health problems caused by marine pollution. The commission, assisted by water quality experts, boarded a KPT vessel to see the extent of pollution at the breakwater but had to abandon the trip in the middle due to low visibility caused by rain. Samples from the site were collected by a Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) official who would submit its report to the commission. Earlier in the day, representatives of Korangi and Landhi associations of trade and industry Nehal Akhtar and Ather Ali Khan appeared before the commission. None of them could refer to any data when asked about details on industrial units with treatment plants. Justice Kalhoro rejected the explanations given over the performance of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) by its director general as he failed to bring any record to prove departmental efficiency. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn 18, 14/01/2017)

Four more die as rain turns Karachi into a mess Number of rain-related deaths in city reaches eight; citizens continue putting up with power outages and rainwater accumulated on roads; chief minister says situation not satisfactory Intermittent rainfall that started in Karachi on Friday afternoon continued on Saturday too turning the city into a mess of cesspools and killing four more people, taking the number of rain-related deaths in the

metropolis to eight while dozens others have been injured. Residents of several areas continued to put up with prolonged power outages caused by the rain and cold winds as well as the fear of becoming stuck in traffic jams forced many of them to remain indoors.

Most of the city‘s markets and bazaars remained shut too as light to moderate showers continued throughout the day. Rainwater accumulated on the major thoroughfares of the city and low-lying areas, yet again exposing its poor infrastructure. Police and rescue services said four people died of electrocution in Azizabad, Shadman Town, City Railway Colony and Lines Area.

On Friday, four other people had died of rain-related reasons in different areas of the city. On Saturday, Haris Memon, 28, was electrocuted in Block-3 of Azizabad when a live electricity cable fell in a pool of rainwater while he was returning home. Another man, Muhammad Nawaz, died in Sector 15, Shadman Town when a live electricity cable broke and fell on him. An eight-year old child, Hasnain, was electrocuted in City Railway Colony when he was playing outside his home and stepped on a live electricity cable. Jamal Ahmed, 30, a resident of Lines Area, died when he accidentally touched an electricity pole in the area during rainfall. Power outages The residents of several areas of the city suffered prolonged power outages on Saturday. The K-Electric‘s said it had restored power supply to many areas, but at the time this story was filed, some areas were still reeling in the dark. Dozens of K-Electric feeders tripped on early Saturday morning because of rain, affecting Gulshan-e-Maymar, Sohrab Goth, Abul Hasan Asfahani road, many blocks of Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, various areas of Malir, Airport, Model Colony, different sectors and blocks of Landhi and Korangi. Power outages were also reported in Garden, Ramswami, Lasbela, Clifton, Shershah, Colony, Lyari, Sher Shah, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, and New Karachi. Power went out in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block in the morning and the supply was still not restored by the time this report was filed. A spokesperson for the K-Electric said their teams were active and the overall power supply system remained intact on Saturday. He added that their rapid response teams were available and restoring power supply to all affected areas. ―The majority of the affected feeders were restored within a few hours whereas uninterrupted supply to strategic installations including the airport and Dhabeji was ensured,‖ he said. ―The K-Electric teams are in the field to address local faults and individual queries. The affected areas include some parts of Korangi and Malir as well as Garden East. Customers in select blocks of Federal B Area, North Nazimabad and some parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal were also affected by the rain-related outages.‖ Temperature drop The Pakistan Meteorological Department said the temperature in the city would drop to 9 degrees Celsius on Sunday and there would be no more rain from Sunday morning. Karachi Met office director Abdur Rashid said the temperature would remain between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius on Sunday and further drop to 8 degrees Celsius on Monday. The Met office director said the largest amount of rainfall - 53mm - was recorded at the PAF Masroor and PAF Faisal Bases on Saturday. North Nazimabad received 46mm, Model Observatory 43mm, Airport 35mm, North Karachi 34mm, Landhi 17mm, and Gulshan-e-Hadeed 7mm. Draining efforts The city‘s authorities started draining accumulated rainwater from roads in some areas including Gulbai, where a large pool had formed. But overall, the municipal authorities failed to address the problem. Vehicles were seen stuck in pools of water on many major roads including University Road, Sharea Pakistan, and Sharea Faisal. Mayor Waseem Akhtar said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was using all resources available at its disposal to clear the accumulated rainwater. ―The aim is to remove the water and not worry about whose domain an area falls under,‖ he added.

CM‘s visit Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during his five-hour visit to the rain-affected areas of the city said th situation was not satisfactory but comparatively better because of the cleaning of drains and the removal of encroachments, adds Azeem Samar. He said it was an uphill task to remove encroachments from Gujjar Nala and local government minister Jam Khan Shoro had done a great job for which he must be appreciated. Replying to a question, he said he was in touch with the Karachi mayor. ―He is on the streets and I am also visiting the city to review the draining of rainwater accumulated on the roads and streets,‖ he said. ―I am supporting the mayor and invited him to join me in this trip but he was working in some other areas,‖ he added. The chief minister said that there were some traffic issues because roads were being reconstructed. ―Instead of appreciating some people are criticising the government for carrying out development work in the city.‖ The chief minister visited Sharea Faisal, Nipa Chowrangi, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Golimar, Sher Shah, and Lyari. Shah also said government would address all the reservations raised by interior ministry over Sindh‘s request to place certain madrasas in the province on the Fourth Schedule He added that the recommendation for putting some madrasas on the banned outfits list was made on the basis of intelligence reports. (By M.Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 15/01/2017)

Rain, Karachi, and a wet future

The rain that had been accurately forecast for Karachi and parts of Balochistan duly arrived on Friday and chaos promptly ensued. The mercury plummeted, sweaters, where they could be found, sold out everywhere and power outages along with traffic congestion became the order of the day. Further rain is forecast for Saturday and Sunday and the much-trumpeted Karachi Food Festival has been postponed. Sadly it is also reported that six people have died in rain-related incidents, three of them motorcyclists and the fourth a man who was electrocuted having come into contact with a snapped wire. Equally sadly more deaths may be expected. Whilst rain may not be a common event in Karachi it is a recurring natural phenomenon and has to be prepared for. There is a ‗season‘ in which rain is more likely and it is for the city managers to ensure that all the utilities, particularly water and electricity, are adequately prepared. Drains and nullahs need to be cleaned and/or dredged in the pre-rain season. Rubbish cleared. Electricity infrastructure checked. Dust shaken from live wires. Weak cabling strengthened or replaced. And does this happen? Mostly it does not and the city administrators are party to the deaths of innocent residents year after year. Equally culpable are the motorcyclists who refuse to wear helmets and then die in weather conditions that produce slick road surfaces. It is not unreasonable to assert that the majority of rain-related deaths are avoidable. Karachi Electric said their Rapid Response teams were on the case and re-energised tripped feeders restoring power for the most part. What is of great concern is that meteorologists are warning that rains are going to become unseasonal, as in arriving at unexpected times of the year as a result of global warming. This is going to present a new

set of problems and means that the city managers are going to need to be prepared for a downpour any time in the year, and not only in the seasons where they traditionally occur. They cannot say they were not warned. (The Express Tribune 06, 15/01/2017)

Negligent governance: Poor management brings misery with rain

Poor management on part of the municipal bodies and the government turned moderate rains in Karachi into a misery on Saturday.

As the downpour continued incessantly for the second day, traffic on most roads remained slow and electricity supply remained erratic. The rainfall is likely to slow down today (Sunday) when the weather is forecasted to be cloudy or partly cloudy, said Pakistan Meteorological Department director Abdul Rashid. The highest rainfall was recorded at PAF Masroor Base (52mm), followed by PAF Faisal Base (51mm), said Rashid, adding that 45mm of rainfall was recorded in

Nazimabad, 34mm in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, 33mm in North Karachi and 15.5mm in Landhi. Most major roads were submerged in rain and sewage water and the drainage system failed to work. The worst traffic jam was seen on University Road, which is under construction. It was not possible for anyone to leave this area in the morning as the entire University Road was flooded and no government official was present, complained a Safoora Chowrangi resident, Shuja Hashmi. The main road at Hasan Square, near Micasa Luxury Apartments, had also sunk and many cars were stuck there for several hours. Salman Samad, who was making his way to Gulistan-e-Jauhar, said that the entire Hassan Square area was flooded with rain water and no government machinery was present to drain the water out and help retrieve the sunken cars. The Liaquatabad Underpass also developed a leak so only one track was open for traffic. Sharae Faisal was also flooded and only two lanes of the main artery were functional at FTC and Drigh Road. Natha Khan Bridge and Korangi Road also presented the same picture. Power outages The continued rain also led to a breakdown of electricity supply in parts of DHA, Clifton, Saddar, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Karachi, North Nazimabad, PECHS, Landhi, Korangi and Gadap. ―It‘s very strange that the K-Electric system trips during every spell of rainfall and yet there are no improvements,‖ pointed out Ashar Shahzad of Shah Faisal Colony, who did not have electricity at his house since Friday evening. ―Our neighbourhood was enveloped by darkness which spoiled the joy of the good weather,‖ said Gulistan-e-Jauhar resident Muhammad Fatir. Murtaza Lashari of DHA Phase V reported his area did not have electricity supply for more than 10 hours on Saturday. ―There is no electricity so the water supply is affected and the power fluctuation ruined some of our appliances,‖ he complained. For its part, K-Electric communications director Sadia Dada told The Express Tribune that the continuous rain spell hampered the restoration work. A little more than 100 out of 1,400 feeders in Karachi were affected between Friday night and Saturday. By Saturday evening, only 50 feeders were affected, she said.

Official visits In late attempts to do some damage control, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar made rounds of the city. Akhtar demanded the Sindh government release funds to clean 30 major nullahs of the city. Shoro felt the rain aftermath appeared better than previous years when the entire city came to a standstill. If the city is unplanned and full of slums, such problems arise, he reasoned. ―It has been raining for the last 24 hours but cars are still plying normally on roads,‖ he said, adding that the Sindh government released Rs500 million to clean all nullahs last year. Similar views were shared by Shah who termed the situation ‗comparatively better‘ due to the cleaning of some nullahs and removal of encroachments. Shah pointed out that Pitcher and Gujjar nullahs were flowing smoothly. As for the mayor, Shah said he has enough powers to serve the people. (The Express Tribune 13, 15/01/2017)

Polluted environment

FOR the state, safeguarding the environment is quite obviously low on its list of priorities. However, at times, either due to the hue and cry raised by citizens, or the efforts of conscientious public servants, major environmental hazards are highlighted, after which the state scrambles to formulate a response to the problem. Two issues currently under the spotlight in Sindh are pollution of the province‘s water resources and degradation of the environment by certain industries. As reported in Wednesday‘s paper, a judicial commission in Sindh formed by the Supreme Court in response to an individual‘s petition has ordered the relevant government departments to submit a report on the discharge of effluent by industries. According to another report, seven factories in Hyderabad‘s SITE area were sealed after the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency noted that the concerns were flouting environmental protection laws. These actions are welcome and it is hoped that state organs tasked with monitoring environmental standards remain alert. The fact is that Sindh — as well as other parts of Pakistan — suffers from high levels of pollution. For example, a recent conference held at Karachi University was told that 40pc of the Sindh capital‘s population was exposed to ―highly polluted air‖, while 65pc of its citizens lived in areas with ―elevated levels of noise pollution‖. Moreover, the judicial commission, currently touring Sindh, was earlier told that the metropolis received 200 million gallons of unfiltered water daily. Matters in other parts of the province are no better; while surveying the situation in Sukkur, the commission was told that only three of 29 water treatment plants in the upper Sindh city were functional. This degraded state of the environment has both short- and long-term effects on people‘s health and quality of life. It would not be enough for the state to just point out how much pollution exists; the next step should be to implement policies to bring down the level of pollution. (Dawn 08, 26/01/2017)

Embracing climate change

Welcome to the world in 2017: for many, scientific facts and measurements and their consequences seem remote. Some consider them complicated and boring, best left to others to worry about. Or so large-scale and terrifying that we‘re paralysed, seeking solace in distraction. Perhaps progress has rendered scientific processes and complexity invisible, hidden behind a shiny user interface and working like magic. For others, science and its predictions may be viewed as inconvenient with respect to a specific belief or agenda. In such cases, science must be doubted, repudiated, and undermined by any means possible. But do you know what? Science doesn‘t care. It really doesn‘t.

The laws of physics are going to continue heating up the planet in response to increased levels of carbon dioxide whether we‘d like them to or not. Whether we deny them or not. Left to their own devices in a world of growing fossil fuel consumption, ice shelves will melt and glaciers will run into the oceans at increasing rates. Sea levels will rise, cities will flood, weather will become increasingly unstable, and crops will fail. Millions will struggle for resources, leading to mass migration and war. None of that will be nice, but science doesn‘t care much about ―nice‖ either. Whether we like them or not, whether they fit our agendas or not, science, facts, measurements, and rational thinking lie at the very core of the modern world. They keep our energy, fresh water and sewage systems running; they keep our aircraft flying; and they help us to keep mutating bacteria and disease at bay. With a sense of cruel irony, they even provide us with the tools of mass distraction, including our 4K TVs, smartphones, and Clash of Clans. To some extent, ignoring these realities is manageable, as long as some benign Wizard of Oz keeps things running behind the curtain for us. But clearly there‘s a limit to this and we‘re edging ever closer to it. In today‘s complex world, people need to be more aware of how all of this works, not less – to have some understanding of the possible consequences of inaction. Humans are smart, with demonstrated ability to take on big challenges. Thanks in part to science and technology, the world‘s population continues to rise, along with living standards, leading to increased pressures on essential resources such as food, water, housing, and energy. There are ways of addressing such concerns. But many of the key issues facing us today, not least climate change, are no respecters of lines drawn on maps or other artefacts of human history. To solve them, we need more international cooperation and integration, for the good of humankind and our communal natural environment as a whole. We need to build a more educated, rational society where evidence-based policy is developed, understood, and embraced by citizens and their governments, even when complex. It would be naive to suggest that this is simple, but it seems immoral to suggest that we shouldn‘t even try. As our world grows evermore complex, it asks a lot of our governments, institutions, and the public as well, and inevitably things will creak and groan as the pressures continue to increase. But again, we must try: the alternatives are unacceptable. Denying the facts won‘t change the facts. Doing so can, however, make it much more difficult for society to deal with the consequences of those facts, and in areas such as climate change, we only have a narrow window in which to make critical decisions and act on them before it‘s too late. We need to embrace science and the information and insight it offers us. There are many examples, for instance space and satellites, where science is critical to the wellbeing of humankind. Beyond Earth itself, space exploration provides a clear demonstration of the power of international collaboration in coming together to meet extraordinary challenges, whether it‘s astronauts working together on the International Space Station or robotic missions such as Rosetta‘s landing on a comet. These great adventures can also inspire children and bring them into STEM subjects. There they learn the tools needed to make sense of our complex world and to help provide solutions to its many problems. It will also, we hope, ensure that they will bring a rational, deliberative approach to their role as citizens. This article has been excerpted from, ‗Science doesn‘t care if you believ in it or not‘. Courtesy: aljazeera.com (By Mark McCaughrean The News 06, 06/02/2017)

Six factories shut over environmental pollution Decision taken after representatives fail to prove to Sepa they weren‘t polluting rivers The province‘s environmental watchdog has shut down six factories in different industrial areas of Karachi after their representatives failed to prove that they were not responsible for polluting the Lyari and Malir rivers. After hearing the arguments of representatives of the factories accused of pollution, the Sindh

Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) took action under Section 21 of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014. The watchdog directed them to immediately close down their operations because they

were discharging untreated industrial effluent into the rivers, a Sepa official told The News. The factories ordered to halt production include pharmaceutical companies, textile factories, ghee and oil mills, and lubricant and steel factories located in SITE, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Landhi, North Karachi and Federal B Industrial areas. The watchdog also directed another 24 companies and firms to submit reports of their environmental audit within 30 days, while CEOs of eight companies were asked to appear before the Sepa director general within the next two days and prove to him that they were not damaging the environment. The Sepa official said they had issued notices to 107 factories and industries in Karachi for violating environmental laws, and polluting air and water by discharging industrial effluent into the environment without treatment. Representatives of 37 of the 107 factories and industries appeared before the Sepa DG at his office and cleared their position, while the remaining would appear before the environmental watchdog in the coming days. The factories ordered to halt their production were Ahmed Oils in SITE Area, Towellers Limited in North Karachi, Tabraiz Pharma in Federal B Area, IFFCO, Envion Fats and Oil in Port Qasim, Diamond Textiles in SITE Area and Latte Colson in FB Area. Sepa had already sealed a major textile factory in Karachi a few weeks ago for causing extreme environmental pollution in the SITE Industrial Area using its coal-fired power plant to generate electricity. ―Factories and industries that have been asked to halt their production would have to face serious consequences if they don‘t follow Sepa‘s orders,‖ warned the watchdog official. Sepa also issued a fresh Environmental Protection Order (EPO) to 24 factories and industries across the province, stating that they should immediately take steps to reduce environmental pollution or be prepared to face the consequences, which include closure of production in accordance with environmental laws. ―Sepa has also issued EPOs and warnings to many municipal authorities, including District Municipal Corporations in Karachi as well as cantonment boards, to improve their practice of disposing of solid and domestic waste,‖ said the official. The watchdog official added that many other stakeholders and utilities had also been warned to mend their ways and stop polluting the environment. (By M.Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 17/02/2017)

Formation of environmental protection council demanded

While criticising the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) for serving shut-down notices upon industries, the leaders of seven industrial estates have urged Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to immediately set up the Sindh Environmental Protection Council. In a recent meeting industry leaders had warned that if shut-down notices issued to industrial units of seven industrial estates by Sepa were not withdrawn, it would `cause chaos and render millions of workers jobless` They urged the chief minister that first legal requirements under the Environment Protection Act of 2014 should be met, wherein an Environmental Protection Council has to be set up. The council will have representatives from industry and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They claimed it was the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Council to frame standards for the protection of environment, but Sepa has framed its own standards and started issuing notices to the industry of the city. It was noted by the leaders that industrial waste needs treatment before it was thrown into the sea, but for the last 20 years the relevant civic bodies have failed to install treatment plants in any of the seven industrial areas of Karachi. (Dawn 18, 21/02/2017)

'Sindh - most vulnerable province to climate change'

Sindh is more prone to climate change due to its geographical location as compared to the other provinces, said MPA Shafi Muhammad Jamot at the launch of ‗Climate Public Expenditure Review‘ on Monday. The government of Sindh, he said, has already announced the establishment of a new department to handle environment-related issues. He was speaking at the ceremony organised by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and Oxfam. The session highlighted an analysis of Sindh‘s 2016-17 budget with reference to allocation to prevent climate change at Regent Plaza on Monday. The study discussed the need to have a climate change budget with a gender lens specifically, as women are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Devising policy: ‘Climate change affects crop yield’ Advertisement Jamot criticised the government for not taking immediate measures for the adaptation of local plants, protection of mangroves, controlling marine pollution and ensuring fresh water into the delta to mitigate the impact of climate change. Other speakers also urged that budgetary allocations by the provincial government are insufficient to tackle the threats of climate change. Pakistan is among the world‘s top 10 countries vulnerable to climate change and can experience adverse impacts if the issue is not being handled by the government, stated another speaker. Lead researcher Aneela Bibi confirmed that only 6% of the total development budget is related to climate change, adding that while 15% of the GDP of Sindh has been affected by climate change. Meeting in the ministry: Global body to help strengthen Climate Change Council Environmental expert Nasir Panhwer said that agriculture is one of the pillars of Pakistan‘s economy and a major source of livelihood for rural communities.

He said that utmost importance should be given to address the issues faced by small farmers by ensuring development projects for rural communities using solar and wind energy. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah said that small-scale farmers, especially women, are the worst hit by the impact of climate change. Shah asserted that, ―A local adaptation plan of action needs to be adopted by the government to cope with these issues and make communities resilient to climate change.‖ He added that the biggest threat to climate change are capitalists and remarked that, ―Unequal distribution of wealth is the main cause of hunger and poverty‖. Urgent policy measures are needed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people, remarked Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum vice-chairperson Mustafa Mirani. He added that the conversion of natural lakes into agricultural land must be stopped and the theft of water must be made a non-bailable offence throughout the country. Climate change: Pilot project to study agri data ―In Pakistan the lower-riparian people have lost the most due to dams, whereas in other countries they are the biggest beneficiaries,‖ he lamented. He also demanded that new scientific research on fish breeding must be conducted due to the change in the flow of river patterns. (By Mudaser Kazi The Express Tribune 13, 28/02/2017)

Sepa serves notices to cantonment boards,KMC and other bodies Environmental watchdog says 28 major roads of Karachi illegally commercialised by these authorities

The provincial environmental watchdog issued notices to military and civilian housing, development and building authorities on Sunday over the commercialisation of 28 major roads in Karachi in violation of environmental laws.

Roads cannot be commercialised without conducting an environmental impact assessment (EIA) there. The military authorities include the Malir, Faisal, Korangi Creek, Karachi, Clifton and Manora Cantonments. The civilian ones are the Karachi Development Authority, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and the Sindh Building Control Authority. The Defence Housing Authority, a semi-military body, too has been served a notice. In separate letters to the six cantonment boards and development and building control authorities, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) not only demanded that EIA reports be submitted but sought traffic plans of the 28 roads to ascertain whether or not their commercialisation was casuing traffic jams and pollution. The Sepa director general said the environmental watchdog was not taken on board while commercialising the city‘s roads, allowing construction of high-rises and skyscrapers. He added that as per the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014, any change in land use must be preceded by an environmental impact assessment in which the cumulative impact of all alterations in land use needed to be clearly evaluated. Furthermore, the watchdog‘s director general Naeem Mughal added, no development could proceed with any alteration unless an approval was granted by Sepa. Mughal said Sepa‘s role had been ignored as and the densification of roads had been undertaken without a master plan.

―Most plots on commercial roads are being converted into multistor3y buildings and high-rises,‖ he added. He maintained that the policy adopted for strip commercialisation was against environmental sustainability principles and neither socially nor environmentally acceptable. ―For each environmental impact assessment document submitted to Sepa, we accept the plan with a number of conditions to suit to the requirements of environmental and social considerations. We wouldn‘t have been required to do this if the master plan department had done its job by keeping the sustainability principles in view and evaluating the environmental and social impacts of densification and commercialisation.‖ He regretted that traffic congestion had already become a major problem in Karachi and with the densification of roads, thousands of more vehicles will ply on them further degrading air quality.. ―What was needed at the outset was to have a meaningful traffic management plan that could accommodate the parking of the vehicles into the parking plazas,‖ the Sepa DG observed. ―In the absence of a traffic management plan, buildings have been constructed that leave the parking issue to the owner of the vehicles causing frequent traffic jams on roads and tremendously increasing the woes of the general public.‖ (By M. Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 06/03/2017)

Sepa has never used its lab equipment: judicial commission Says in its report there‘s nothing to back environmental watchdog‘s achievement claims; observes Sepa

is confined to office files, writing letters and issuing notices The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has never used the chemical, analytical and microbiological laboratories at its head office for the last many years and all the expensive equipment there seems ―untouched and unused‖, a judicial commission has noted in its report submitted to the apex court on Monday.

―It appears that Sepa‘s initiatives are mainly confined to office files, writing letters and issuing notices. It is obvious that Sepa, at least in the present situation and in the present set-up, is unable to deliver and perform, in spite of having ample powers under the 2014 Act,‖ the commission wrote in its 130-page report. The commission, headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, was formed by the Supreme Court to probe looking into the issues of potable water and sanitation conditions in Sindh and the statutory role played by the environmental watchdog on the issues mandated by the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014. The judicial commission revealed in its report that Sepa did not employ any scientific methodology to monitor ecological degradation caused by direct inflow of untreated effluent in sea and no exact data of all the industries functioning in Sindh was available with it. The state-of-the-art air monitoring system to evaluate air pollution installed on the roof of Sepa‘s office appears to have never been put into use, the judicial commission found during its visit there. Sepa started its latest drive against industries generating toxic effluent and discharging it into water bodies only after the judicial commission asked about the data about it. During the proceedings of the commission, Sepa officials produced ―incomplete figures‖. ―The factories are directly discharging untreated effluent in water bodies, but Sepa did not appear to be concerned about it, and it did not seem to have an idea as to how and to what extent the untreated effluent is destroying the flora, fauna and biodiversity of coastal waters,‖ the judicial body noted in the report.

Besides, Sepa is unaware of how factories are generating toxic effluent. ―Sepa was reminded that the majority of the industrial units have not installed wastewater treatment plant in compliance with 2014 Act, but it has not acted beyond issuing some notices and in some cases referring the matter to the tribunal constituted under 2014 Act.‖ The commission said the environmental watchdog‘s claim that because of its efforts 75 industrial units in Karachi division and 34 in rest of the divisions of the province had installed wastewater treatment plants could not be established authentically. Sepa technical director Waqar Hussain Phulpoto also conceded before the judicial commission that Sepa officials did not randomly check and test the effluent of the units where treatment plans had allegedly been installed, and if ever any inspection of the unit was carried out, its information was conveyed to the management of the unit in advance almost a week earlier. ―There is no credible record of any visits paid by Sepa officials to factories to monitor and check if the environmental provisions were being complied with or not. During the inquiry, Sepa officials maintained that because of their actions many changes had occurred including installation of wastewater treatment plants in factories, legal action against factories which did not install pre-treatment plants, stoppage of burning of old batteries in Hyderabad and Karachi, prevention of dumping and burning of solid waste in Karachi, management of hospital waste, monitoring of cement industries in Sindh, stone crushing units, prohibition on non-degradable plastic products and compliance with environmental laws in sugar mills. But the commission said it had neither seen the effects of these actions, nor was Sepa able to produce any authentic record showing tangible results achieved so far. The factories are still discharging waste water without treatment, hospital waste is in disarray and is mostly being burnt inside hospital premises, and sugar mills do not seem to be bothered about complying with environmental laws and are discharging waste without treatment in water bodies. The coast is constantly experiencing degradation due to constant inflow of untreated effluent and spill-over of oil from ships, yet Sepa is making claims of a good performance, the judicial commission report revealed. Despite having ample powers under 2014 Act, which gives extraordinary powers to Sepa, the authority is not functioning as per its mandate and taking cosmetic measures to improve environmental conditions in the province, the judicial commission report concluded. (By M Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 08/03/2017)

SC orders govt to sack chief of environment watchdog Apex court observes that not only is the incumbent DG not eligible for the job, but he has also failed to

fulfil statutory mandate of environmental laws The Supreme Court ordered the Sindh government on Tuesday to sack the provincial environmental protection agency‘s director general, not only because he did not qualify for the job, but also because despite being on that post for several years, he had failed to fulfill the statutory mandate of environmental laws.

Issuing an interim order on a petition seeking the provision of clean drinking water and a safe environment to the citizens of Sindh, a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed that the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency‘s state-of-the-art laboratory was not functioning because there were not enough funds to un it and in its absence, the watchdog could not carry out its functions as stipulated in the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014.

The court observed that the Sepa director general was a cadre post of basic pay scale (BPS) 20. However, the person currently holding the post did not meet the requirement. The court directed the provincial government to appoint a cadre BPS-20 officer as the Sepa director general post immediately and also make its laboratory functional without any further loss of time. The court observed that a judicial commission that had probed into the issue had in its report depicted an alarming state of affairs which was affecting the lives and health of the citizens across the province. The court noted that the Sindh government, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, Sepa, SITE, and other departments concerned had failed to fulfill their statutory duties. The court observed that the commission headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro should continue with the task assigned to it by the court. The court directed that all stakeholders concerned should periodically report to the judicial commission to ensure that matters which had been highlighted in the report were addressed. The court observed that every ministry, department, agency, authority and trust including any organisation under their administrative control would assist the judicial commission, answer its questions and bring the requisite improvements as may be deemed necessary. The court observed that judicial commission would exercise all powers vested in it in terms of the apex court orders as well as all powers of a high court judge inclusive of the powers conferred under the Civil Procedure Code. The court asked the SHC chief justice to ensure that judicial commission‘s member Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro had requisite time to undertake this important assignment. The court observed that commission may also seek assistance and information from successful non-governmental organisations including the Orangi Pilot Project and the Urban Resource Centre. The court observed that the commission could document, photograph and record the prevailing state of affairs and the improvements brought in a systematic manner. The court directed the advocate general Sindh to submit a report on the last portion of the commission‘s remarks on the sand being removed from the Malir River bed and its conduits. The court observed that SITE must inspect all industries periodically and develop a transparent mechanism to gather data and take samples of effluents from every factory to determine whether or not they contained any ―dangerous, poisonous or objectionable‖ material and if found, take remedial measures as per the law. The court said that samples of the effluent taken from factories must be sealed and photographed before being sent to the laboratory for testing. The court directed the industries secretary to adopt a similar methodology for the factories in Korangi, Landhi and Federal B Area and submit a compliance report within a month. The court was informed by the representative of the Karachi Port Trust that the harbour was polluted by industrial effluent, sewerage and solid waste. The court was informed that plastic bags and other solid waste was also a hazard for the propellers of boats and ships. The court observed that the KPT, KWSB and SSWMB were public agencies and must ensure that the harbour was not polluted. The court directed the heads of the KPT, the KWSB and the SSWMB to personally examine all the water channels and drains that brought and discharged effluent and solid waste into the harbour and the

Karachi coast and devise practical, inexpensive and immediate measures from their existing budgets to prevent the pollution of the harbour and the Karachi coast. The court directed them to submit their separate reports along with photographs and videos recordings within a month. The health secretary submitted that there was only one incinerator that was functioning for all government hospitals in Karachi and the rest were not functioning for which he could not offer any plausible explanation. The court directed the health secretary to rehabilitate and activate all incinerators installed in the province‘s hospitals within a month and submit a compliance report. (By Jamal Khurshid The News 13, 15/03/2017)

SC defines measures for alleviating contamination of Manchar Lake The Supreme Court (SC) directed on Thursday the provincial authorities to ensure regular monitoring and

revival of water filtration plants, disposal of solid waste and efforts to control pollution level in the largest freshwater reservoir of Pakistan – Manchar Lake – to achieve positive results. At the outset of the hearing, the bench, comprising justices Amir Hani Muslim and Qazi

Faiz Isa, directed the provincial chief secretary, Rizwan Memon, to include the irrigation department secretary in the taskforce assigned the mitigation of increasing contamination in Manchar Lake and another committee that has been tasked to revive the non-functional water filtration plants across the province. Water supply: Probe likely against Sindh high-ups Advertisement The bench directed the irrigation secretary to ensure regular monitoring of the restoration works using modern technology. Justice Isa directed the authorities to ensure that photographs or videos were made on the spot, reflecting the condition before and after measures were taken. He further ordered that water samples be regularly collected from the lake and get tested by the same laboratory to reach a conclusion about whether or not such efforts were yielding positive results in controlling the level of contamination. The judges observed that the problem of contamination in the lake will only be resolved when the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) project will be completed and the contaminated water is disposed of in the sea. However, they said, measures to stop dumping of untreated industrial effluent and sewerage through regular monitoring will help minimise the pollution level. SC orders removal of KWSB managing director, secretaries Justice Hani also directed the chief secretary to include the director-general of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency in the task force. The court ordered that a competent and eligible officer should be appointed on the post. Justice Isa further said that the same method should be applied in disposal of solid waste, including the hazardous hospital waste, which will ensure proper monitoring of the efforts and achieve positive results. ―We do not want miraculous results but we want to see positive results,‖ the judge told the authorities, noting that the 70-year-old problem will take time to heal but can be solved through strict monitoring. Judicial commission submits report after six-week-long fact-finding mission The bench further directed the irrigation secretary to submit periodical reports supported by documentary, video and pictorial evidences to the judicial commission and the SC for perusal. The bench members told the chief and irrigation secretaries to hire any young person, instead of any ‗tired‘ secretary, to efficiently perform this task of field monitoring. They added that the person hired should be equipped with requisite facilities.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon informed the bench that the provincial government will pay Rs30 million to the water experts who had assisted the judicial commission in inquiry into non-supply of clean drinking water, worsening sanitation and its impact on the environment. (By Naeem Sahoutara The Express Tribune 15, 17/03/2017)

‘Steps will be taken to minimise damage to marine life, ecology at Port Qasim’

Participants of a consultative workshop were informed that the best possible mitigation measures would be adopted to minimise damage to environment and to conserve marine life and ecology of the surrounding sea area to the maximum possible extent as a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import facility is being built at Port Qasim in Karachi.

The consultative workshop was organised the other day as part of the regulatory requirements for doing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the new LNG import terminal as envisaged under the Sindh Environmental Protection Act-2014. Keeping in view the cause of environmental protection and conservation of marine ecology, participants of the workshop expressed their concerns over the LNG import facility at Port Qasim in Karachi, which is going to be third such terminal of the country at the same site. Pakistan GasPort (PGP) is building the new LNG import facility as an extension to its similar under-construction LNG terminal at the same site of Port Qasim. The 600-700 mmfcd RLNG (Regasified LNG) handling and storage project will be completed by next year. The first phase of the project will be made operational by June this year. Saleemuz Zaman of the Global Environmental Management Services, the environmental consultant of the project, informed the participants at the outset of the moot that the workshop was being organised with concerned stakeholders to meet one of the requirements laid down by ‗Review of Initial Environmental Examination and Environment Impact Assessment Regulations-2014‘ of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency. Zaman said that workshop was being organised to duly invite and record suggestions of the stakeholders for upkeep of environment of the surrounding area on land and sea as part of the planning to conduct EIA of the project to duly fulfil the requirements of the provincial environmental law. He said representatives of academia, non-governmental organisations, public entities and regulatory bodies had been invited to the workshop so that concerns and reservations expressed by them would be duly made part of mitigation measures to be taken in light of the EIA study of the project. He said that the proponent of the project had expressed full resolve to adopt the best possible mitigation measures to minimise the impact on environment of surrounding areas despite the fact that LNG was considered to be the safest fuel all over the world whose storage, transportation, and consumption had only minimal effects on environment. Nasir Pervez of the PGP in his presentation about the project said that the new terminal as an extension to the first under-construction import terminal would be having an expected annual capacity of 3.5 million tons while it could cater to 750 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) peak gas rate. The proposed terminal will be built at the Mazhar point of Port Qasim having an approximate area of 15 acres, including its sea channel. The LNG terminal project having a total capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day when fully completed is likely to reduce gas deficit in the country by 30 percent while fuel so imported in the country would be utilised for running new power plants having a total capacity to generate 3,600 megawatts of electricity.

Participants of the workshop said that any new import facility being built at commercial harbours of the country should not cause an increase in marine pollution in the surrounding sea area as it would not be helpful for the continuity of Pakistani seafood exports to the developed countries. Representatives of the Worldwide Fund for Nature, National Institute of Oceanography, National Forum for Environment and Health and of other concerned organisations called for replanting mangroves, doing baseline studies to monitor the levels of air and marine pollution in the area, and for establishing a centre for monitoring marine pollution in the Port Qasim as new fuel import facilities are being built there. Officials of the Port Qasim Authority said the port authority was very much cognizant of the issue of the marine and air pollution in its area, and, for mitigating the situation, a sustained monitoring and evaluation project was being carried out to constantly keep under observation any significant damage to environment or ecology of the area. They said that Port Qasim was considered as the best place in the country for doing mangrove plantation, and for this cause the PQA had been getting support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The PQA officials assured the participants that international consultants had carried out proper security risk assessment of the port area for the upcoming LNG import terminal projects as all the concerned law-enforcement and security agencies were now fully part of the comprehensive security plan being put in place for Port Qasim, especially for coal and LNG imports. (The News 19, 19/03/2017)

Environmental degradation

major causes of poverty in the country is environmental degradation. It reduces natural resources such as air, water, and soil; destroys ecosystems and habitat; leads to deforestation and wildlife extinction and increases pollution. The livelihood of many poor people is associated with ecosystems. If it continues to deplete where then will those people go? The depleting of natural resources has no doubt resulted in unprecedented rains, cyclones, flooding, earthquakes, drought and other such climatic changes that hamper the country‘s economic progress. This pattern has been observed since the last two to three decades. Advertisement Extreme weather conditions such as floods and heavy rains were witnessed in 1992, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. Besides the 1999 cyclone, the 2005 earthquake, and an ongoing drought-like situation in Thar has not only significantly affected socio-economic conditions but also damaged infrastructure at a large scale. The effect of environmental degradation on the economy is assuming critical proportions while the government‘s response does not measure up to the enormous challenge. Hence our farm economy is encountering huge losses. Forested areas are declining, wetlands are being polluted due to waste water disposal, grasslands and pastures are reducing and agricultural lands are decaying due to increased water-logging; while birds and plants face extinction. The fish stock in the wetlands is also depleting while communities that used to depend on fishing are migrating to semi-urban settlements. Land degradation, erosion and super-flooding mostly hurt the poor and marginalised communities.

According to the joint findings of the Word Bank‘s 2015 study, in collaboration with a local authority, there has been a 3-4pc loss on the federal budget due to floods and heavy rains. The annual economic impact of flooding is estimated between $1.2bn and $1.8bn— between 0.5pc and 0.8pc of national GDP. According to the Global Climate Risk Index (2017) by German Watch, Pakistan is at number 7 on the global climate risk list. Risks globally have been analysed between 1996 and 2015. Furthermore, the report says that Pakistan has faced 133 natural disasters, with 0.647pc loss in GDP — a total loss of $3,823.17m. Awareness at the grassroots level needs to be provided to help people understand the importance of environmental degradation while being simultaneously empowered to tackle the problem. The writer is a research officer working with Indus Consortium. (By Murtaza Talpur Dawn, Economic & Business 04, 20/03/2017)

Fearing a 2015-like heatwave this summer, hospitals put on high alert

Fearing that there could be a severe heatwave in Karachi and other parts of the province this summer similar to the one in June 2015 which had killed over 3,000 people in the city, health authorities have put all public hospitals in Sindh on high alert after the weather turned unexpectedly hot in Karachi and the rest of province on Monday and Tuesday. Medical superintendents have been directed to make arrangements for any eventuality, especially a heatwave. Around 3000 people had died in just a week in June 2015 when the temperature in Karachi rose to 48 degrees Celsius but on the heat index (the feeling of heat on human skin) was measured at around 64 degrees Celsius. Most public and private hospitals were not prepared to deal with thousands of heatwave patients. Karachi witnessed an extremely hot day on Monday when the mercury touched 38 degrees Celsius and on Tuesday, Nawabshah, Larkana and some other parts of the province experienced extremely hot weather, compelling health authorities to prepare themselves in case there is a heatwave like the one two years ago. In a letter to the medical superintendants of major public hospitals in Karachi, the city‘s health director Dr Muhammad Taufiq Chaudhry directed them to prepare for a heatwave in the coming days. ―We are expecting the same situation this year. Keeping the previous situation in mind and to tackle it, we have to prepare ourselves,‖ he wrote in the letter. Dr Chaudhry asked the medical superintendents to come up with a heatstroke management plan within the next 24 hours, set up separate wards for heatstroke patients, make arrangements for the necessary medicines and drips and deploy medical and paramedical staff in case of an emergency. In another letter to the district health officers and medical superintendents of hospitals in other parts of the province, similar instructions were issued. The Pakistan Meteorological Department said this year‘s summer would be as warm as it was in 2015. Met Karachi director Abdur Rashid said it would remain between ―warm to very warm‖ in the city and the rest of the province in April and May. After that, the temperature will increase even further.

He advised citizens to remain prepared for the summer, avoid staying too long outside during daytime, use plenty of water and cover their heads and wear loose and light-coloured clothes when going outside to prevent a heatstroke. The official said special care should be taken by the elderly people and children, who are more vulnerable to a heatwave. ―Elderly people faint in case of extreme hot weather and high humidity,‖ he added. (By M Waqar Bhatti The News 20, 29/03/2017)

Karachi zoo authorities unhappy with public for littering animals' cages Being one of the most popular recreational spots in the city, the Karachi Zoological Gardens entertain a

large number of people on a daily basis. However, the animals do not get the treatment they deserve from the visitors as people continue to litter their cages and the zoo premises. The zoo, which is more than 100 years old, is covered by hundreds of trees that help in providing a cleaner environment for not just the animals but also for the visitors.

One gets to see more than 900 animals at the zoo, just by paying Rs20 as entry fee. However, despite this, the visitors keep the zoo sweepers busy cleaning the garbage thrown by them on the grass, tracks and even inside the cages of the animals. Sindh CM visits Karachi zoo after 42 years Saqib Meekael, a sweeper at the zoo, said they start sweeping the zoo from 7am and it continues till the evening. ―Other than leaves, there is a lot of garbage thrown by the visitors even though dustbins are installed in every corner of the zoo,‖ he added. Pointing at a gunny sack next to him, Meekael said this this is for collecting plastic shopper bags that people usually throw in the zoo or inside the cages. The zoo has a total of around 10 sweepers. The children, who hang on to the grills of the cages to watch their favourite animals, end up littering the surroundings of the cages, intentionally or unintentionally. Juice boxes or wrappers can usually be seen inside the cages, which are thrown at the animals by the people to get their attention. Another sweeper, Sanjesh Kumar, said they even have to go inside the cages of the wild animals to remove the wrappers or any garbage. ―Frequently going into the cages irritates the animals,‖ he said. Zoo Director Fahim Khan claimed that he takes several rounds of the zoo in the day to keep a check on the waste disposal work. He added he has directed the sweepers to always keep collecting garbage from inside the cages. He added that on weekends and on days when the zoo is only for women and children, more than 1,500 people visit it. They bring along food and snacks with them but they throw the garbage on the grass or on tracks instead of throwing them in the dustbins, he claimed. ―The zoo has numerous dustbins and enough sweepers,‖ Khan said. ―However, despite this, the lack of cooperation from the visitors is creating a problem of sanitation for the zoo administration.‖ He added that the zoo administration does not require any heavy amount of budget from the government to keep the zoo clean because these sweepers and dustbins are enough for this. However, he added, the problem is with the people who are not responsible citizens. The public litter the same place that entertains them at a low price, he added. Khan said if the plastic bags or wrappers that are thrown inside the cages are consumed by the animals, it can cause great problems for them. Talking about the issue, Rashid Pirzada, who is a veterinary doctor, said that minor things can pass through the animal‘s intestines but the plastic bags or wrappers can get stuck, which can then lead to surgery for the removal.

Karachi Zoo welcomes new pair of bears Dr Pirzada believes that there is a lack of awareness among the people. He added that throwing things at the animals can change their psychological behaviour because most of the animals prefer living in isolation. This can make them sick or the animals can also stop eating for several days because they get irritated by such behaviour and they are not made for such a lifestyle, Dr Pirzada added. When The Express Tribune approached many families, they refused to comment when they were asked about the poor waste disposal done by the public. However, Aneela Majid, an elderly woman who had come along her sisters and their children, said that the visitors try not to litter the zoo but children sometimes throw away garbage wherever they feel like. Majid added that it is the responsibility of citizens to keep the place clean, instead of blaming it on others. ―We must become more responsible and that is the only way forward,‖ she said, adding that the zoo administration should, however, increase the number of sweepers to keep the zoo clean. Talking to The Express Tribune, Urban Resource Centre director Zahid Farooq asked how eight to 10 sweepers could be enough for such a huge zoo. He added that although it is the responsibility of the citizens but the zoo authority has to manage such problems on their own instead of relying on people‘s cooperation. He added that these sweepers should also be given self-defence training because they have to go inside the cages to clean them. (By SHEHARYAR ALI The Express Tribune 14, 30/03/2017)

Landslide in Baldia Town claims five lives It was around 4am on Thursday and the entire household was asleep. Five of them would never wake up.

A landslide in Karachi‘s Baldia Town neighbourhood killed five and injured four others of a family on Thursday, reminding the threat that ‗encroached‘ hills of the city pose as standing time bombs ready to explode at given any moment. The ill-fated house situated on a hill in Gulshan-e-Ghazi of the area was hit by a

boulder at around 4am when the family was sleeping inside, Baldia Town SP Asif Razzak told The Express Tribune, adding that the neighbours initially tried to carry out the rescue operation on their own. Advertisement ―The hill was encroached and due to unplanned housing, the rescuers found it difficult to move up the machinery to remove the giant rock that crushed the house,‖ he said, holding the residents responsible for the tragic incident. Seven children among 13 killed in Karachi’s landslide They were informed about the hazards of living on the hill and were warned several times to leave the area, he added, but they never listened. Instead, he said, they put up resistance against anti-encroachment drives. The house was owned by 45-year-old Zameer Gul, who, along with his two daughters, 22-year-old Kainat and 18-year-old Iqra, 11-year-old son Abdullah, and another 11-year-old relative Atif, died in the boulder strike. Meanwhile, his wife, 38-year-old Nageena Bibi, and three more daughters, 13-year-old Roma, 12-year-old Zehra and seven-year-old Muskan, were injured and immediately shifted to a hospital. According to a neighbour, Hazrat Gul, who took part in the rescue operation, announcements were made on the mosque‘s loudspeakers to inform the neighbours about the incident and to gather them for help.

Nowhere to go: Residents protest against demolition of 40 houses in Karachi ―The machinery arrived later as the sun rose,‖ he said. ―Earlier, the people tried to remove the rock themselves but they remain unable to do so. Meanwhile, the injured were taken out and rushed to the hospital.‖ Refuting claims that the authorities had informed them about the land-sliding threat earlier, he said that no official bothered to visit the area to see the living conditions. ―We haven‘t encroached upon the hill,‖ he asserted. ―We have bought the space.‖ It took around five hours to complete the rescue operation and since the heavy machinery was unable to reach the accident site, all the work was done by engaging manpower from the residents as well. District West Deputy Commissioner Asif Jameel said the residents were told even before they started building their houses that living on the hill was dangerous and that they were encroaching upon state land. Katchi Abadi case: SC for concrete plans for slums He said that as mushrooming of housing and settlements was witnessed across the city and particularly in this area where law and order had remained a crucial issue, such things continued unabated. Whenever the authorities tried to mount an operation against the encroachments, they were met with strong opposition from the residents. ―Sometimes, we were even shot at,‖ Jameel said, explaining the situation. He mentioned Wednesday‘s anti-encroachment drive in Machhar Colony, in which the protesters set ablaze an excavator machine worth Rs20 million. ―In situations like these, we are left with no option but to back off.‖ He added that the residents have been given a final warning to leave the hill immediately or else the district administration, with the help of the police, will move them forcibly. Anti-Encroachment: KCR to trample 4,000 houses ―There are still chances of more landslides. And people have been warned of an operation,‖ said the deputy commissioner, adding that land-grabbers are completely responsible for this. In October 2015, 13 people – including seven children – were killed in a similar manner in Gulistan-e-Jauhar neighbourhood. The victims were from three families and hailed from southern Punjab. (By ZUBAIR ASHRAF The Express Tribune 13, 07/04/2017)

Over 5,000 trees cut along Superhighway

Around 5,280 full-grown neem trees, planted along the Superhighway by the Sindh forest department, have been cut by contractors to widen space for the highway being constructed, said an official of the department on Friday. The Karachi-Hyderabad Superhighway is being upgraded to a motorway by the National Highways Authority (NHA) and the Frontier Works Organisation is building the motorway. Hyderabad forest conservator Arif Domki told Dawn that despite approaching two police stations concerned — PS Gadap and PS Malir Cantt — no case was registered against illegal deforestation. Around nine years ago, the official said, the forest department planted neem trees along a patch of the highway, between the toll plaza and Wadi-i-Hussain graveyard, and now the trees had become mature. When the forest department asked the people felling the trees with heavy machinery to stop, they did not listen and informed the foresters that they were directed to do so by the contractors to broaden the road for the motorway, said the department official.

Gadap station house officer (SHO) Khan Nawaz told Dawn that he had not received any formal complaint regarding tree-felling, adding that if a complaint was received, they would register the case and follow the required legal procedure. Mr Nawaz, however, agreed that trees had been cut in the area. Malir Cantt SHO Rao Dilshad said that he received an application from the forest department but as the other party involved was an organisation of the federal government, the application was referred to the legal department concerned and action would be taken according to their decision. The trees were probably cut to broaden the highway and not to steal wood, he added. (By Bhagwandas Dawn 18, 08/04/2017)

Public parks for sale

On Friday afternoon, a black 15-seater helicopter, with a gold Bahria Town emblem on the side glinting in the sunlight, approached Bagh Ibne Qasim, the city‘s largest public park. Huge clouds of dust billowed upwards as it descended towards the barren ground. Out emerged Malik Riaz, once contractor for the Military Engineering Services, now CEO of Bahria Town, the real estate behemoth. Accompanying him were his son, son-in-law and a few senior Bahria employees. To greet Mr Riaz, MQM-P leaders Farooq Sattar and Mayor Waseem Akhtar were at hand. A meeting was to take place in connection with a petition filed against the recent handing over of this public park to Bahria private limited. The 130-acre Bagh Ibne Qasim today is a shadow of its former glory. The queues of public buses — between 60 and 100 every day — which brought thousands of people from all over Karachi to the gates of the park in Clifton have disappeared. The grass that once carpeted the park‘s expanse is long dead. Even until four years ago, the Bagh Ibne Qasim — maintained by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) — with its velvety grass, well-manicured flowerbeds and stone benches, would be thronged with families in the evenings. Its fortunes began to change when the PPP government, through amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, took over many of the local government‘s powers and deprived KMC of most of its fund-raising sources. ―The Sindh government created the conditions whereby the party leadership and its close business associates could make tons of money, all at the cost of the city,‖ said a former KMC official. ―For instance, it‘s well known that before 2016 the contract for maintaining Bagh Ibne Qasim was with a front company owned by a PPP MNA from Lyari. You can see what has become of it.‖ Through a notification dated March 30, the PPP government in Sindh ―handed over‖ Bagh Ibne Qasim ―for adoption‖ to Bahria Town. According to the contract, Bahria undertook to ―renovate, landscape, improve, reconstruct, rehabilitate and maintain the said project for a period of 10 years on its own expense‖. On April 3, the Sindh High Court suspended the government‘s notification after Mayor Waseem Akhtar filed a petition against it. The court directed both parties to submit their replies by today. The MQM-P leaders‘ public outrage is a smokescreen. Far from resisting the provincial government, evidence shows that the KMC, under the control of MQM-P since January 2016, actually colluded to hand over the park to the powerful developer. Mayor Waseem Akhtar has also claimed that KMC was not taken into confidence by the Sindh government when the agreement was signed between Bahria Town and Secretary, SLGD Muhammad Ramzan Awan. However, the document bears the signature of Afaq Mirza — a known confidante of Mr Sattar — currently director general (DG), Parks & Horticulture Department, KMC, as a witness.

Also, more than a year ago, on March 16, 2016, KMC, led by MQM‘s deputy mayor Arshad Vohra, gave a one-year, Rs1,73,25,000 (Rs 17.3 million) contract for Bagh Ibne Qasim‘s maintenance to Bahria Town. The letter awarding the contract was signed by then DG Parks, KMC, Asadullah Shah. Google Earth satellite images in its ‗historical imagery‘ link are very instructive in assessing how much maintenance Bahria Town carried out in the park during the year ending March 16, 2017. They show that, if anything, Bagh Ibne Qasim is in an even more shambolic state than it was when the maintenance contract was awarded to the private developer. Not only that, but Bahria Town — in order to benefit its Icon Tower which occupies the land adjacent to the park — used the contract to lay 1,000-metre pipelines across Bagh Ibne Qasim for the disposal of sewage and storm water. Why then has the park been ―handed over for adoption‖ to a company that has clearly not honoured its obligations under a contract which had ended a mere fortnight before? Could an entity that had not met the terms of a one-year contract, for which it was to be paid Rs1,73,25,000, conceivably carry out its stipulated responsibilities for 10 years, that too for free? When former DG Parks Asadullah Shah, under whom the earlier maintenance contract had been signed, was asked the questions above, he replied with an embarrassed laugh: ―I am a government servant and can‘t say anything on this. It‘s a policy matter. You are the best judge.‖ ZulfikarAli Bhutto’s legacy Bagh Ibne Qasim, located in KDA Scheme 5, is a legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto‘s expansive vision for Pakistan‘s largest city. The founder of the PPP imagined it as an area dotted with generously laid out parks and green spaces for the people of Karachi. According to a former director of land, Karachi Development Authority (KDA), Mr Bhutto returned the initial draft layout drawn up by Karachi‘s renowned Cornell-trained town planner Ali Ahmed with an observation that it did not adequately meet his requirement for parks in the area. In 1996, then Sindh chief minister Abdullah Shah, father of the present chief minister, transferred all parks and playgrounds in KDA Scheme 5 to KMC because during Benazir Bhutto‘s government the latter had far more financial resources to maintain these green spaces. However, over the last four years or so, slowly but surely, the park fell into disrepair. An area resident, Farah Hassan, said: ―My son used to play football there every day. But what was once a family park has become a hangout for shady individuals, and I no longer let him go there.‖ According to a former senior KMC official, there are a number of problematic issues in the attempted ―handing over‖ of Bagh Ibne Qasim to Bahria Town. First, neither the Sindh government nor KMC has any claim to the ownership of the park. When a land authority develops a housing scheme, it recovers its costs from the sale of plots through occupancy value and development charges. The park thus belongs to the residents of KDA Scheme 5 where it is located, with KMC responsible for its maintenance and further development. Second, while Section 74 of Sindh Local Government Act 2013 allows for the government to ―take over the management and control of any institution or service maintained by a Council‖ — in this case KMC — it only allows transfer of such management and control to another council, not to a private party. The ruling PPP clearly attaches no significance to what are not only legal niceties but also its moral obligation to the people of the city. Nor, apparently, does the local government, notwithstanding its recent show of protest. Both are complicit in the ongoing commercialisation of the city‘s major parks.

This is being facilitated by a thus far little-known Sindh government notification dated Nov 21, 2016, which distorts the above-mentioned Section 74 to authorise SLGD to ―take over‖ any public park or garden from the KMC and assign their maintenance to any company or multinational. Including Bagh Ibne Qasim, five parks in the city — the others being Benazir Bhutto Park, Frere Gardens, Beach Park and Jehangir Park — have been or are in the process of being handed over to commercial interests. On Dec 23, 2016, the government of Sindh issued a notification declaring the takeover of Benazir Bhutto Park by SLGD. It is also believed the powers that be in the province have decided to hand over Frere Gardens to the organiser of an annual food festival on the premises, while Beach Park and Jehangir Park are also being gifted to commercial interests in a similarly questionable manner. The Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court orders in several cases have held the commercialisation of public parks and amenities to be a violation of the law and citizens‘ rights. Bahria’s Town’s footprint Notwithstanding these court judgements, the iconic Bagh Ibne Qasim is being slowly devoured by Bahria Icon Tower with the full knowledge of the provincial government and KMC, well before the Sindh government decided to make the process ‗official‘. A retired land official questioned the blatantly preferential treatment that KMC has meted out to Bahria. As per KMC rules, he said, Bahria‘s bid for the Rs1,73,25,000 maintenance contract was accompanied by a pay order of five per cent of the value, which came to roughly Rs 850,000. ―But although Bahria did not even attempt to maintain the park, KMC has still not encashed the bid bond submitted by the developer,‖ he disclosed. ―Neither has it taken any of the actions that one would have expected it to take. It didn‘t cancel the contract or blacklist the firm or levy the Rs1,000 per day penalty stipulated in the contract. It didn‘t even invite new tenders. Instead, it gave the park for adoption to the same party!‖ The high-rise complex has already spread over large chunks of parkland. For one, as alleged in Suit 2064 of 2014 and other complaints pending in the SHC, Bahria Town has illegally taken over 4,050 square yards that was given by KMC to Ram Krishna Mission Trust on temporary occupation lease in 1944 to set up a school for low-caste Hindu children. According to the petition, several other chunks of parkland that have been illegally amalgamated into 9,360 sq yards of what used to be Hussain D‘Silva flats are now part of the 17,517 sq yards the complex occupies today. Another several thousand square yards of land to the north of Bagh Ibne Qasim have been swallowed up by the underpass constructed to service Icon Tower. In the process of its construction, moreover, irreparable damage was done to the Kothari Parade, which was bequeathed in 1919 by philanthropist Jehangir Hormusji Kothari to the people of Karachi. ―This is how commercial interests eat away at citizens‘ heritage and their constitutional rights unless they themselves stand up and resist,‖ said a former KMC official. What will it take for Karachiites to reclaim their green spaces that are being devoured by the rapacious power elite? (By Naziha Syed Ali Dawn 01, 18/04/2017)

We deserve water share for accommodating people from all provinces: CM The increasing need for water in Karachi should be shared by all the provinces as Karachi has

accommodated people from all the provinces. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said this while presiding over a preparatory meeting at the New Secretariat in connection with the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting to be held in Islamabad on Friday.

Law Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Special Assistant to CM on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Taimore Talpur, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Principal Secretary Sohail Rajput, Irrigation Secretary Syed Jamal Shah, Energy Secretary Agha Wasif, IPC Secretary Aijaz Mangi and Forest Secretary Manzoor Shaikh attended the meeting. Advertisement ‘Sindh is suffering from more than 50% water shortage’ When the Water Accord of 1991 was signed by all the four provinces, the federal government allocated a certain share of water for Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Sindh protested that being the tail-enders, people of the province will suffer. At that time, the federal government had assured that 1,200 cusecs will be given to Karachi. This has yet to happen. Speaking in reference to this violation of its claims on part of the federal government, the CM said that all the provinces should share Karachi‘s water requirement of 1,200 cusecs for domestic use the way the provincial governments did for carving out the share for Islamabad and Rawalpindi. According to Irrigation Secretary Jamal Shah, 1,200 cusecs of water was required from River Indus for the K-IV project in Karachi. He added that the requirement would rise to 1,800 cusecs by 2020 and 2,400 cusecs by 2025. Powerless Lahore: City suffers through serious water shortage Talking about short supply of water in Pat Feeder and Kirthar Canals that are supposed to provide water to Balochistan, the irrigation secretary said the claim of Balochistan is not justified as there is no legal provision under the 1991 Water Accord for monetary compensation on account of alleged short supply of water. On this, the chief minister said he is ready to initiate third-party monitoring with the consensus of both the provinces. Jamal also presented a report to the chief minister, stating that 83 unauthorised outlets in Guddu Barrage command diverted water to Balochistan, which is in addition to their share. Jamal further suggested that to ensure tail-enders rights, a new law should be introduced that enables the establishment of special ‗water courts‘. Sindh barrages facing 40% water shortage The chief minister also said that effluent coming from Balochistan and Punjab has destroyed the lands in Kamber-Shahdadkot and Ghotki districts. He suggested that this should be put on the agenda for the meeting that no untreated effluent would be accepted. Therefore, he said, there should be a clear policy that effluent draining down to Sindh be treated first. Gas supply in fields Talking about the supply of gas to areas located within five-kilometre radius of gas-producing fields, Energy Secretary Agha Wasif said there are 347 villages located near gas-producing fields. The federal government is of the view that the provincial government should share the expenditures, he said, adding that the total cost of providing gas connections to the 347 villages would be Rs3.591 billion. Of this amount, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) would invest Rs747 million while the remaining amount of Rs2.844 billion would be borne by the Sindh government. WASA blames HESCO for water shortage in Hyderabad On this, the chief minister reiterated his earlier stand that in pursuance of Supreme Court‘s judgment and the prime minister‘s directives, the federal government should bear the total cost of laying gas pipelines for villages located within five-kilometre radius of gas-producing fields. He also said that he would manage to provide gas to other villages that are within the district of gas-producing fields. (By Hafeez Tunio The Express Tribune 13, 26/04/2017)

Karachi has ‘no mechanism to monitor air quality’ Participants of a dialogue were informed that Karachi for the last several years has lacked a proper

mechanism to monitor its air quality at such a time when harmful industrial and vehicular emissions, the burning of municipal waste, the cutting of trees frequently and rapid commercialisation had irreversibly damaged the city‘s environment.

The dialogue titled ―Air quality & Climate change: A case of Karachi‖ was jointly organised recently by the National Forum for Environment and Health and EMC Pakistan. Sindh Transport Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah was chief guest on the occasion, while a large number of noted environmentalists, academicians, public representatives, industrialists, and government officials attended. The participants of the event were informed that the city lacked a mechanism to lawfully stop use of vehicles which had become old and were constantly emitting pollutants. One such programme, which had been launched some years back by the provincial government with proper procurement of monitoring equipment and hiring of staff after proper allocation of a budget, was abandoned without any valid cause. They were also told that air quality monitoring stations of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency had not been in use for the last six to seven years, while one such programme of Suparco to monitor the levels of air and water pollution had been abandoned some 10 years back. This all happened when the environment of the city has been constantly exposed to a number of hazardous gasses causing repercussions for the health of the citizens. The audience were informed that though Sindh had adopted its own environmental quality standards after passing the provincial environmental protection law in 2014, it had no binding limitations for industries to reduce harmful emissions of hazardous gasses by them. Environmentalist Saquib Ejaz Hussain said in his presentation on that air quality of the city had severely deteriorated due to rapid urbanisation so much so that Karachi had been termed fifth most polluted city of the world according to a report of the World Health Organisation in 2016. He said that tree-cutting had continued unabated in the city over the last several years to give way to rapid urbanisation so much so that vegetation cover of the city had decreased from two percent from seven percent back in 2008. He said that the coal yard of the Karachi Port Trust had been functioning without any check though activities related to transportation, handling and storage of coal had virtually ruined the environment of the adjoining areas, causing serious health risks for their residents, labourers and visitors. He said that tree-cutting in urban centres be criminalised so as to punish people who had been constantly damaging environment for their vested commercial interests. Farzana Altaf, director-general of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA), said that use of non-degradable plastic bags in Islamabad capital territory had been controlled by up to 70 percent and the provincial governments should also follow suit and adopt such measures to prevent further harm to the environment. She said that she had been able to make industries and businesses of the federal capital and of its surrounding areas to fully adhere to the national environmental quality standards, while the provinces should also adopt a similar approach to persuade industries to adopt such provincial environmental standards on a voluntary basis. Khurrum Sher Zaman, lawmaker of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the Sindh Assembly, said that he would soon move a resolution in the assembly so as to make it binding upon the provincial government to ban use of non-degradable plastic bags in the province.

The president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shamim Ahmed Firpo, said that industries should fulfil their obligation regarding the protection of environment by setting up waste water treatment plant on their own without waiting any more for the government‘s support for this cause. Mir Shabbar Ali, dean of Civil and Architecture Faculty of the NED University of Engineering & Technology, said that the constant phenomenon of congestion of vehicular traffic in the city had led to the problem of air quality deterioration. Gulzar Firoz, chairman of the Standing Committee on Environment of FPCCI, said that industries had to fulfil their responsibilities for decreasing the level of hazardous gasses in the environment causing an alarming increase in respiratory illnesses among citizens of the city. He said the Sindh and federal governments as well as the private sector had to combine their forces to effectively tackle the issue of air quality deterioration occurring at a fast pace. Abdul Malik Ghauri, former DG of Sepa, said that some 10 years back, all necessary approvals had been given to constructing an elevated expressway in Karachi from the Jinnah Bridge till Quaidabad mainly above Sharea Faisal, but successive governments had failed to build the expressway which could have been an effective means to resolve issues of vehicular traffic congestion in the city. In his concluding remarks, Sindh Transport Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that the government was fully committed to reviving the proposed system of the Karachi Circular Railway, and for this cause, encroachments were being removed, and at the same time two separate sections of Bus Rapid Transit Service were being built in the city. He said that Karachi since long had been lacking a viable mass transit system but the present provincial government had the utmost resolve to provide the same facility on most modern lines to the residents of the city at the earliest. He said the government would soon revive mechanisms to check fitness of both private and commercial motor vehicles so as to certify their suitability for their plying on roads of the city to safeguard the environment. For reviving this system, services of contractors were being hired from outside the country, he added. (The News 14, 30/04/2017)

‘Sindh to allocate Rs270 million for 10 environmental protection centres’ The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has been allowed to establish 10 satellite environmental protection centres in different districts of the province. In this regard, the Sindh Finance Department has agreed to allocate Rs270 million in the next fiscal budget, The News has learnt. ―We had sought Rs711 million from the Sindh Finance Department for the establishment of SEPA satellite centres in 29 districts of Sindh but the finance department has asked us to establish these centres in three phases. In the first phase, we have been asked to establish 10 centres, for which around 270 million rupees would be allocated in the provincial budget for 2017-18,‖ the newly-appointed director general of SEPA, Baqaullah Unnar, told this scribe at his office on Thursday. Unnar, an officer of BPS-20, was appointed the SEPA director general by the Sindh government a couple of weeks back after removing previous director Naeem Mughal, who had been declared an incompetent officer by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the recommendations of a commission of inquiry. Establishment of each environmental protection centre would cost around Rs27 million and would be comprised of five to 10 staff members, including environmentalists, administrators and field officers. These satellite offices would keep an eye at district levels over activities detrimental to environment and take action against violators of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, Unnar said.

―In the first phase, these district environmental protection centers would be established in far-flung areas of the province, including Mithi and Ghotki where previously no official of the environmental watchdog ever dared to visit,‖ he said. ―Ghotki has the second largest number of industrial units after Karachi in Sindh but nobody ever tried to look into its impact on the local environment,‖ Unnar maintained. Water testing lab Within a week of assuming charge of his office, a water quality testing lab that was non-functional for the last six years at the SEPA head office in Karachi, has also been made functional and now it is testing and analysing water samples being collected from different areas of Karachi, Baqaullah Unar said, adding that earlier these samples used to be sent to private labs for analysis, for which the environmental agency used to pay heavy amounts to laboratories. ―Provision of safe drinking water is my first priority as this is the basic human right and the most important environmental issue in the province. If clean drinking water is not being delivered to people in Karachi and rest of the province, we have no right to talk about environmental degradation,‖ the SEPA DG said, adding that the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and other water supply bodies in Sindh would be held accountable for providing tainted, contaminated water supply to people. The environmental watchdog chief claimed that samples of water from different areas were now being tested at the SEPA lab for turbidity, TDS, microbiological and chemical contests, pH level and chlorine. He said that results of these tests would be sent to the KWSB for improving its system and provision of safe drinking water to people. ―A commission of inquiry appointed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan recently declared that 85 percent of water being supplied to Karachi is not fit for human consumption,‖ he said, and vowed to improve the situation at the earliest. ―Similarly, an air quality analysis unit that was not made functional since its installation at SEPA headquarters some six years back, has also been made functional and now it can monitor the quality of ambient air around the SEPA head office in Korangi Industrial Area round the clock,‖ he said. ―We invited the JICA experts from Lahore and they made out air quality analysis unit functional. It can now monitor the air quality and pollution in the air,‖ Unar said. Effluent treatment plants The new chief said his third priority was to install a sewage treatment to treat the sewage before its dumping into the sea that had turned into a large pool of dirty water. ―Discharge of industrial effluent into the sea and freshwater bodies is unacceptable. These industries would be asked and persuaded to install effluent treatment plants,‖ he vowed. The Sindh environmental agency chief said preventing unplanned high-rise buildings in Karachi, establishment of the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) as per environmental protection act and creation of an advisory council were some of the other steps that would be taken in the days to come. (By M. Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 05/05/2017)

Rangers to defend Malir river bed from sand-lifting The judicial commission directed on Saturday the Sindh Rangers to carry out a survey to identify areas

for establishing check-posts to control sand-lifting from the bed of Malir river. Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro of the Sindh High Court (SHC), who headed the commission formed by the Supreme Court to investigate allegations of non-supply of clean drinking water and deteriorating sanitation conditions in Sindh, ordered the

Rangers law officer to carry out the exercise by May 13. On Saturday, the Rangers‘ law officer and provincial deputy home secretary appeared before the commission in response to notices issued to them on April 22. Advertisement On the last hearing, the East DIG had requested that the commission direct the Rangers to establish pickets to monitor sand-lifting from the Malir River bed. Court orders: Commission wants water quality testing, measurement details The Rangers law officer said the paramilitary force is working under the supervision of the home department. The officer said a survey of the area was needed to determine the feasibility, financial impact and other related issues for establishing pickets there. The commission directed that such an exercise should be undertaken and a report be submitted on May 13. It also issued a notice to the provincial mines and minerals department secretary to file a report by for May 13. Sepco issue The commission observed that while the Sukkur district and sessions judge had reported service of the commission‘s notice to the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) chief executive officer, no one had appeared and no intimation was received, ‗which is a sheer disregard and disobedience on behalf of the Sepco CEO [towards] the commission proceedings‘. Judicial commission issues notices for withholding of development funds The commission issued bailable warrants for the arrest of the Sepco CEO to be executed through the Sukkur SSP, for his appearance before the commission on May 13. The federal secretary for the planning and development department, Shoaib Siddiqui, apprised the commission on the federal government‘s stance on the issue of the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD), S-III and CTP projects. Reports submitted The chairperson of the planning and development board and provincial advocate-general made submissions on behalf of the Sindh government. Both the federal and provincial governments took contrary stances regarding the financial liability of these projects but agreed to hold a meeting on May 11 to find an amicable solution to the problem. They also agreed that the outcome of the meeting will be placed before the commission on May 20 for further orders. Electricity providers asked to explain position to judicial commission In compliance with the commission‘s April 22 order, the executive engineer of the Kalri Baghar, Aijaz Ahmed Qureshi, informed the court of a short-term scheme regarding treatment of industrial effluent at Darya Khan Pumping Station. The commission supplied a copy of the scheme to the chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed task force as well as the representatives of the public health engineering department with a direction to file their comments and report. Justice Kalhoro directed them to submit a detailed report on this short-term scheme on or before May 20 for further orders. The task force‘s chairperson filed a third report in compliance with the commission‘s directives. Dr Ghulam Murtaza, a senior research officer at the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, filed a summary report on the capacity building training of laboratory staff of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on water sampling and testing.

Judicial commission allows a week’s time for report on implementation on clean water supply The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation commissioner filed a report regarding the area of Treatment Plant-II, Mehmoodabad. The medical superintendent of Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, also filed a statement regarding hospital waste management. The medical superintendents of Civil Hospital, Karachi, and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Hospital, Larkana, and the executive directors of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases filed reports regarding implementation of the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2014, and potable water in the hospitals. However, they sought a week‘s time to submit a detailed report. The health department‘s deputy secretary of litigation also filed a report regarding implementation of the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2014 in Sindh‘s hospitals. Judicial commission gets high court powers to implement its orders KWSB‘s managing-director filed a progress report up to May 4. The commission directed him to file a report up to May 13 on the progress of Treatment Plant-I and Treatment Plant-II as to whether the same had been made functional in light of the orders of the SC. The Water and Sanitation Authority managing-director filed a statement regarding filtration of water and its supply in Hyderabad. According to him, two chlorinators had been installed in the water filtration plant on Jamshoro Road and the laboratory of the said plant had been made functional. The commission adjourned the hearing till May 20. (By Naeem Sahoutara The Express Tribune 13, 07/05/2017)

Four friends drown at Karachi's Hawke’s Bay beach Four young friends drowned while another was rescued from the city‘s Hawke‘s Bay beach on Sunday.

A group of friends went to the Hawke‘ Bay for a picnic and stayed the night on Saturday. ―After staying for a night, we had planned to go for a swim early next morning,‖ said the victims‘ friend, Adnan Khan. ―Everything was good until the high tide which drowned two

of my friends … they were already at a distance.‖ Advertisement Ad When they saw their friends struggling in the water, three others jumped in to rescue them. Unfortunately, they also fell victim to the tide. ―We were helpless. We were unable to do anything for them,‖ said another friend, Muhammad Fahad. ―Finally, we found rescuers who helped us.‖ Man who ‘drowned’ taking a selfie returns home safe The rescuers quickly reached the site, but by the time they arrived four people had already drowned. They, however, managed to recover bodies of all four. ―We recovered them in three phases, two each in the first two phases and the fifth youngster in the third phase,‖ explained a rescuer, Ashiq Ali. ―We were unable to save four of the boys but luckily saved the life of the fifth one as he was close to the beach.‖ The deceased were later identified as Danish, Syed Raza, Mishal and Zubair while Omar was the one who was rescued alive. All of the youngsters were believed to be between 17 and 25 years of age. Will Karachi drown under the sea? The victims were residents of Buffer Zone, Federal B Area and Nazimabad. The bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi, for medico-legal formalities and later handed over to their families for burial.

Omar, who was also taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi, was later discharged after treatment. Local police also reached the site and helped the rescuers in recovering the victims. Police officials said the victims drowned while bathing in the sea. No case was registered as it was an accident, said the police. Tourist falls into Neelum River while taking photos Drowning incidents are common in the summer season, when picnickers flock to the beaches to beat the soaring temperatures in the city. Despite a number of incidents of drowning, the authorities concerned have not taken any precautionary measures. One of the biggest such incidents occurred in 2014 when over two dozen people drowned at the Clifton beach. They had gone to the beach for a picnic during Eid holidays. (The Express Tribune 13, 15/05/2017)

Seven more people drown in the sea Seven more people, including four school students who were also childhood friends, drowned while

swimming in the waters of different beaches in Karachi on Tuesday, taking the drowning death toll in the past 10 days to 18. In the first incident, four school friends drowned at Sandspit beach. The bodies of three have been recovered while one is still missing. The deceased were later identified as Hamza Siddiqui, Ejaz Azad, Ali Ahmed and Hamza Anis. The search for

Anis‘s body is still underway. The victims were said to be aged between 17 to 19 years. All of them were residents of Sector 11.5 of Orangi Town neighbourhood. They were students of Matric at the Little Whittle School in Orangi Town and had arrived at the beach for a picnic with the student administration. The school administration and students blamed the government for not making proper arrangements of lifeguards at the beaches in Karachi. ―The students insisted to go to the beach for a picnic after the Matric examinations,‖ said the school‘s principal, Amir Ahmed. ―Everything was fine. All the students were swimming and enjoying but suddenly a high tide washed them away.‖ Advertisement Ad Four friends drown at Karachi’s Hawke’s Bay beach According to Hammad Ali, a friend of the deceased, they could have been saved if proper arrangements had been in place. ―It took at least 10 minutes for them to drown and we continued shouting for help but there was no one to help us.‖ The only lifeguards who came were from the Edhi foundation but by then, all four had drowned, he added. ―The Edhi lifeguards had no proper equipment to save the drowning people,‖ said another student, Shahrukh Ahmed. ―They were only able to recover the bodies.‖ The bodies were shifted to Civil Hospital, Karachi, for medico-legal formalities and later handed over to the families for burial. The neighbourhood mourned as the bodies of the drowned students were brought. ―Please help us. Please bring my son back,‖ wailed the father of Anis, who is still missing. ―They are saying that they cannot search in the night and they will start searching again tomorrow. What will my son will do in the sea during the whole night? Will the same happen if was the son of any major politician or government official in place of my son?‖ Man who ‘drowned’ taking a selfie returns home safe Meanwhile, two others drowned while swimming in Do Darya within the limits of the Sahil police station. Rescuers retrieved Kashan, 22, in a critical condition and the body of 24-year-old Uzair. A third unidentified man drowned with them, whose body has yet to be recovered.

Sahil SHO Arshad Janjua said that the victims were labourers and were working at a nearby under-construction building. ―They went to the sea for a swim during break time and drowned,‖ the officer explained. The officer said the rescuers, however, managed to recover two – one dead and the other in an unconscious condition – while the third person is still missing. He added that rescuers will go to the sea again to search for him early Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, the body of a young man who was later identified as Bilal, a resident of Orangi Town, was found from Hawke‘s Bay beach. Police officials said the deceased apparently drowned while swimming. The body was later handed over to the family for burial. Will Karachi drown under the sea? According to Edhi Foundation officials, the three months of May, June and July are the most dangerous for swimming and people should avoid going to beaches during these months. ―The coastal belt along Karachi is over 31 miles,‖ said a senior Edhi Foundation official, Anwar Kazmi. ―Only prompt action can save a person within two to three minutes, otherwise just the body is recovered. Section 144 against swimming in the sea is already in place but people are violating it and losing their lives.‖ Drowning incidents are commonly reported in the summer season as picnickers flock to the beaches to beat the soaring temperatures in the city. However, despite the increasing number of incidents of drowning, the authorities concerned have yet to take any precautionary measures. Earlier on Monday, four people drowned in the waters of different beaches in Karachi while on Saturday, three fishermen drowned at Manora beach as they were going for fishing and their boat capsized. Four other friends also drowned at Hawke‘s Bay beach last Sunday. (By Faraz Khan The Express Tribune 13, 24/05/2017)

SHC reserves verdict on petition seeking inquiry into heatwave deaths

The Sindh High Court (SHC) reserved on Monday its verdict on a petition seeking a judicial inquiry into the deaths of nearly 1,000 residents during the heatwave coupled with severe load-shedding in the city in 2015. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, reserved its order after hearing arguments from the lawyers representing the non-profit organisations, K-Electric (K-E), the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) and others. The petitioners, including singer Shahzad Roy, had argued that over 1,000 persons died and 40,000 others suffered heatstroke during the heatwave because the federal and provincial governments did not aptly respond to the situation and delayed declaring emergency until June 23 – when 426 people had already died. The petitioners had also blamed the K-E for the deaths as it had failed to provide uninterrupted power supply that could have mitigated suffering of the citizens during the heatwave. Advertisement Ad How are you controlling load-shedding, asks SHC The petitioner had pleaded to the court to constitute a judicial commission, headed by a retired judge of either the high court or Supreme Court, to establish reasons for the deaths and hold the government functionaries responsible for their failure to take preventive measures. The court was also requested to ascertain the K-E‘s role during the heatwave. While hearing the matter on May 24, the bench had come down hard on the power utility‘s management, stating the court will not sit idle if unannounced load-shedding continues to cause distress to residents. The bench had directed K-E and the relevant authorities to appear on May 25 along with details of measures that they had taken to control the unannounced load-shedding.

On Monday, the petitioners‘ lawyer, Faisal Siddiqui, argued that entire area should not be deprived of electricity if one person defaults on paying their bill. He added that even if it is a matter of theft of electricity, the person committing the crime should bear the brunt of the power cuts, not those in the adjoining houses. No load-shedding across country during PSL final, claims Abid Sher Ali He added that the K-E should provide electricity to the citizens under the national power policy, but the management was resorting to power suspensions instead of taking action against those involved in power theft. This act of K-E is illegal, he contended. Siddiqui recalled that the Supreme Court had in 2014 ordered the power utility not to cut-off power supply during the month of Ramazan. But in spite of such order, up to 80% of the areas in Karachi were in the dark during sehri on the first day of Ramazan this year, he stated. The lawyer further alleged that the K-E management had constantly violated the apex court‘s directives during the holy month of Ramazan in 2015 and 2016. He said when Nepra sends a show-cause notice to the power utility, its management obtains a stay order from the court. The lawyer charged K-E with exploiting the judicial system. SC declares Sindh public service exam 2013 void Siddiqui argued that K-E should be given directives in the light of Nepra‘s directions to take action only against those involved in power theft instead of suspending power supply to the entire locality. A lawyer representing Nepra informed the court that action will be taken against the K-E management, if the power regulator receives any complaints in this regard. To this argument, the judges inquired whether Nepra could act on its own against unannounced load-shedding. The lawyer replied that the authority will take action only if any particular area, where unannounced load-shedding is being carried out, is identified. Dissatisfied with the reply, the judges asked why the petitioners or anyone else should identify areas to Nepra and why the regulatory body was not monitoring the situation on its own. The bench observed that the petitioners would not have needed to come to the court had Nepra been fulfilling its obligations. Electricity theft on the rise as summer rolls in After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench reserved its judgment to be announced at a later date. JI files petition Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman approached the SHC to take action against K-E management for hours-long load-shedding in the city. After filing the petition, the JI leader said he has requested the court to take the K-E management to task for continuing the illegal practice of suspending electricity supply to the parts of the city despite recovering electricity bills regularly from the consumers. Jamaat chief accuses K-Electric of extortion In the petition, he maintained that under the Article 245 of the Constitution, the army may be requested to take over the power utility as it has failed to deliver to its consumers. He further requested for carrying out forensic audit of K-E. Rehman alleged that the current management of the KE wanted to escape after plundering Rs200 billion of the public money and the federal government was supporting them in this. In the petition, the K-E chief executive officer, Nepra and water and power ministry and others have been named as respondents. The matter is likely to be taken up for hearing in the court on May 30. (By Naeem Sahoutara The Express Tribune 13, 30/05/2017)

Traces of oil slick spotted at Hawkesbay, Sandspit beaches Traces of an oil slick were found in a large area of Hawkesbay and Sandspit beaches on Tuesday, causing concern among experts. Information gathered from different sources indicated that the oil slick was first spotted near the Churna Island from where it travelled to Hawkesbay and Sandspit. According to sources, an aerial surveillance was also carried out by the Maritime Security Agency (MSA), which showed that the oil slick covered less than a mile area and its depth towards the sea was not more than 2,500 yards. The MSA officials, however, expressed their ignorance about any such incident and said there was no such report from anywhere. ―Most of the oil slick has been cleaned up by high wave action continuing due to the monsoon season. A few days ago, it was so intense that it was difficult for picnickers to come out on the beach. The whole place was stinking with its foul smell,‖ a lifeguard told Dawn during a visit to Sandspit. Upon contact, experts representing the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) confirmed that an oil slick had affected the beaches, though much of it was in its last stages of natural biodegradation. ―Our team visited the beaches and found the oil slick traces over an area of 2km to 3km, which is a pretty large area and should raise concern,‖ said Saira Ishaq, a senior research officer at the NIO. The concentration of oil deposits, she said, was not high and that the Hawkesbay beach was found to be affected more than that of Sandspit. ―I have never seen these areas affected by an oil slick before and we were also wondering about its source; whether it‘s the result of an accident in the open sea or intentional dumping of fuel in the offshore waters.‖ The NIO team couldn‘t spot remains of any marine species that could have possibly died or got affected by the oil slick. It has, however, collected samples from the affected sites for detailed analysis. Mohammad Moazzam Khan, who works as technical adviser on marine fisheries with the WWF-P, said his team had also informed him about the oil slick. ―The oil slick seems to have lost its toxicity and much of its compounds have evaporated. The information we have gathered from the site reveals that the oil slick is in its last stages of biodegradation and there is nothing to be worried about,‖ he said and called for oil fingerprinting, a method which helps track oil spill source. According to him, the turtle nesting sites are completely safe from the oil slick. ―Besides, it‘s not their nesting season. There is no need for an operation to remove the oil slick because it would clear up naturally in the coming days,‖ he said. Mr Khan was of the opinion that action should have been taken by the relevant agencies when the oil slick was spotted near the Churna Island. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn 17, 31/05/2017)

Climate change deal

IN withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change, President Donald Trump has in fact walked away from the role of global leadership that the United States has held since the end of the Second World War. Out of the 197 countries that had signed the agreement last year, 147 have already ratified it,

meaning the departure of the US from the commitments made at Paris deals a significant blow to cooperative efforts to contain the rise in global temperatures. The saddest part of the whole affair is how the defence of antiquated industries has been invoked by the president at the cost of the welfare of future generations. The latter was reflected symbolically last year when then secretary of state John Kerry, holding his toddler granddaughter in his arms, signed the Paris Agreement. President Trump, on the other hand, stood alone before a group of his admirers, including many who are labelled as ‗climate sceptics‘ and serve in his government in important capacities such as director of the Environment Protection Agency. As the biggest contributor of global carbon emissions, the US has a special responsibility to lead in the area of climate change. Once before, too, it has walked away from an important global arrangement, the Kyoto Protocol, at the last minute under president George Bush Jr. This cycle of entering into and then walking away from international cooperative efforts to mitigate climate change does serious harm to America‘s role as a global leader, and leaves a vacuum that is easily filled by rising powers such as China. The fact that only a few days before his disastrous decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, President Trump was in Europe diluting his country‘s commitment to the Nato umbrella will also be seen as a dent in America‘s leadership role. The silver lining here is that it could take up to four years to actually make a departure from the agreement since there are strong laws governing exit, and by then there might well be a new administration in power more amenable to staying. But the troubling signals coming out of Washington, D.C. have already registered in capitals around the world. Germany is now openly considering less reliance on America, while China is talking of international commitments. Whatever Mr Trump does, it seems the world might yet adapt and carry on with or without his assent. (Dawn 08, 03/06/2017)

Another heatwave likely this month The Met Office said on Saturday that Karachi had endured a mild heatwave in the first week of Ramazan, and warned that a similar spell could hit the city later this month.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) told The News that the metropolis had experienced heatwave-like conditions due to formation of a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea that not only weakened the sea breeze to the city but also rose the temperature and humidity.

―The low pressure area, some 600 kilometres away from Karachi‘s coast, has now started moving towards Oman. From tomorrow (Sunday), sea breeze towards Karachi would resume and the temperature will start falling one degree Celsius a day,‖ said PMD chief Dr Ghulam Rasool. Around 2,000 people had died in the 2015 heatwave in the metropolis when a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea near the city‘s coast had cut off sea breeze to the city, drawing hot winds from the plains of the country and increasing the temperature and humidity. Karachi‘s temperature will drop in the next few days after the low pressure area relocates to Oman‘s coast, but the Met Office warned that more of such depressions and low pressure areas would be forming this month and cause heatwave-like conditions here. The PMD official warned that in case a strong depression or low pressure area formed in the Arabian Sea near Karachi‘s coast were to remain stationary for a few days, it could cause severe heatwave-like conditions in the city. He said the temperature in the Arabian Sea was on the rise and, therefore, the chances of more of such weather phenomena in the metropolis were very high.

Dr Rasool said his department had issued a three-day (June 3 to 5) mild heatwave warning for Karachi, with high humidity ranging between 75 and 85 per cent in the morning and between 55 and 65 per cent in the evening, adding that such conditions would be very tough for the elderly and the asthmatic. ―The temperature is expected to drop in Karachi from Sunday, but due to high levels of humidity, discomfort will be very high and weather conditions will be very tough for some people, especially the elderly.‖ However, said the Met official, the weather conditions would improve in a few days and the temperature would settle in the range of 33 and 34 degrees Celsius once the low pressure area in the Arabian Sea fully dissipated. Heatwave camps Several public and private organisations set up heatwave camps in various parts of the metropolis after the temperature and humidity level increased to create heatwave-like conditions during Ramazan. Health experts said the severity of the hot weather increased manifold in the holy month, particularly for the people who fast, while the absence of electricity compounded their miseries, especially for those living in congested flats. (By M.Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 04/06/2017)

Climate change is real, people

The writer is the editor and translator of Why I write: Essays by Saadat Hasan Manto, published by Westland in 2014. He is executive director of Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are

his own. aakar.patel@tribune.com.pk The world faces a dangerous moment, though the media in India is not focused on it. The United States has gone back on its commitment to help reduce global warming. The Paris Agreement was signed in 2015 in which nations agreed to lower the carbon dioxide emissions from their industrial plants and automobiles. This would be done by

voluntarily cutting fuels like coal and petrol and diesel and shifting to solar and wind. India is already the largest market for solar power and because of this the prices of solar energy have dropped very low. If all nations that signed the agreement met their commitments, the rise in global warming would be limited to 2 degrees Celsius more than it was in the time before industrialisation. China is the biggest source of CO2 emissions, with 30% of the world‘s total, followed by the US (15%) and the 28-nation Euro zone (9%). India contributes 7% of the emissions, but has about 15% of the world‘s population, so on a per person basis, India is not contributing to the problem as China and the US are. Since India is rapidly industrialising, it can no longer ignore the problem. Advertisement Ad We should credit Prime Minister Narendra Modi with having foresight and courage and showing leadership on this issue. He said this week that ―Paris or no Paris, our commitment to preserving the climate is for the sake of future generations.‖ The government of India has also said that all cars sold in the country by 2030 will have to be electric. The details of how this will happen are not known but if Modi can pull it off, it will make him a true world leader. Meanwhile Trump said that he was putting American jobs ahead of concerns on climate change. He claims that if America sticks to its commitments, 27 lakh jobs will be lost in the next seven years. This is disputed and in fact one of the biggest creators of jobs in the US in the last decade has been the electric car and solar industry. It shows how isolated Trump is that even American industrialists and many of its largest companies said that America had taken the wrong decision. One can only hope that the shift from fossil fuels continues.

The data is absolutely clear: climate change is happening as a result of manmade global warming. Since 1880, the earth‘s surface temperature has risen at an average pace of 0.07°C every decade. This has resulted in a net warming of 0.95°C as of now. Land temperatures have risen faster than the ones of the ocean so far. But this will change by 2030 unless the world‘s nations cut their emissions. And once the oceans start to warm up, many countries will quickly be in deep trouble. Indians will be vulnerable in three ways. Climate change will mean higher oceans and this will lead to huge problems in cities like Mumbai and Chennai and Kolkata, near the sea. It will also mean that the monsoon will become much more volatile and unpredictable. This will bring misery down on the Indian farmer. The third problem will come if we continue using fossil fuels like coal. The source of our coal is the Adivasi belt in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. The tribals there are being most cruelly exploited and must give up their forests and their lands for the rest of us to get coal. When Mumbai proposed to build a flyover opposite Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar‘s house, she threatened to leave the country and got it cancelled. Adivasis do not have that power and must give up their land. Stopping the use of fossil fuels will help all of us. More than 12 lakh Indians die of pollution every year. There is not enough pressure on government and industry to change faster. As a nation, we must use the Trump decision to bring our focus on a problem that has enormous implications not just for India but the entire world. (By Aakar Patel The Express Tribune 06, 05/06/2017)

‘Climate change threatens extreme weather for Sindh and Balochistan’ Karachi and the adjoining coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan may have to endure torrential rains in

the monsoon season for years due to frequent tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea. Talking to The News on Sunday, Pakistan Meteorological Department chief Dr Ghulam Rasool attributed the impending bad weather to the constant rise of temperature of the Arabian Sea in summers due to global warming.

―In South Asia, tropical cyclones usually formed in the Bay of Bengal because its temperature remained higher than that of the Arabian Sea,‖ said Dr Rasool. ―But for the past two decades, the Arabian Sea is getting as warm as the Bay of Bengal due to climate change.‖ Meteorologists have been witnessing changing weather patterns in the Arabian Sea due to global warming, where the sea level temperature is rising and low pressure areas or depressions are forming, with the potential to transform into tropical cyclones off the Sindh-Makran coast. ―The Arabian Sea‘s temperature is now higher than or equal to the temperature of the Bay of Bengal, and climatic conditions are suitable for tropical cyclone formations off the coasts of Karachi and Balochistan,‖ said Dr Rasool, adding that depressions – the early stages of tropical cyclones – could convert into sea storms more frequently. He said that while the frequency of rain was likely to decrease, their intensity was expected to increase along Pakistan‘s coastline, adding that the rise in the Arabian Sea‘s temperature would also affect the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan in the monsoon season. ―Tropical cyclones cause severe rains and bring strong winds when they make landfall on coasts, just like the Severe Cyclonic Storm Mora did in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh last week.‖

Mora was the severest tropical cyclone to hit Bangladesh this May before causing the most large-scale devastation in Sri Lanka since 1994, killing hundreds, displacing millions and damaging properties worth billions in the coastal areas of the two countries. Tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea move mostly towards India‘s westernmost state of Gujarat, but they rarely make landfall in the coastal areas of Sindh, including Keti Bandar, and sometimes near Karachi or in Balochistan‘s coastal areas. But the Met Office chief hinted at changing monsoon patterns and more rains in the coastal areas of Sindh, including Karachi, and the coastal towns of Balochistan after formation of more tropical cyclones. He urged the authorities to develop climate-resilient infrastructure considering future climate change scenarios. ―Even if a tropical cyclone forming in the Arabian Sea does not make landfall on or near Karachi‘s coast, it can bring heavy rainfall in the city, where the infrastructure is not capable of enduring more than 50 to 60 millimetres at a time.‖ Situation in Karachi Dr Rasool said low pressure areas formed in the Arabian Sea were reversing wind flow from land towards the sea because of which Karachi witnessed block in sea breeze and rise in temperature and humidity, resulting in heatwave-like conditions. ―A low pressure area formed in the Arabian Sea in June 2015 had caused a severe heatwave because it remained stationary south of Karachi‘s coast for four to five days and blocked sea breeze to the city. Starting this Ramazan, a low pressure area did the same thing, but due to a large distance from the coast, its influence was not as strong as two years ago.‖ Dr Moazzam Ali Khan, Marine Fisheries Technical Adviser for the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan, also predicted more severe heatwaves for Karachi in the coming days, saying that although the maximum temperature was not increasing in the city, the gap between the maximum and minimum temperatures was reducing, which was ―unusual and an uncomfortable phenomenon‖ for the locals. He claimed that compared to wet spells, dry spells would stretch in the metropolis because of changing weather patterns, saying that instead of having a week-long wet spell, the city might witness cloudbursts, which could cause flooding in urban areas. (By M. Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 05/06/2017)

Will it be a tryst with an environmental cataclysm? ―You‘ve got a beautiful country but take care of your garbage heaps on an emergency basis for, if you

don‘t, then another five years and these heaps will outstrip the Nanga Parbat and you all will have died because of epidemics.‖ That was the piece of advice rendered in this daily by a German overland tourist two years ago. Most of those who read it may just have brushed it aside as a routine

ceremonial newspaper interview but delving a little deeper one could detect the grave overtones of the advice. Take a jaunt along any of the thoroughfares in Karachi‘s Saddar and you‘d be reminded of this horrifying forecast. Karachi, which till two decades was referred to as a gateway to the West, is now a picture of urban squalor. Even areas which were synonymous with urban suavity are now an eyesore, what with all the garbage heaps gaining in height with the passage of each day. Passing by them is an ordeal given the way they assail one‘s olfactory senses.

Consequently, viruses hitherto unheard of are assailing our citizenry. Epidemics previously unheard of are making their way into the city‘s scenario. Many people today go about with anti-pollution face masks. Trucks transporting sludge from the various decrepit parts of the city are to be seen taking it to the beach and the sludge meandering its way into the sea where it pollutes our fish stocks. Giant hulks of rickety buses belching dense diesel fumes most ‗generously‘ are a common sight on our thoroughfares, a sure cause of pulmonary cancer and other respiratory disorders. What compounds matters is that civic authorities are just not bothered. Such vehicles which are, by law, not supposed to ply our thoroughfares, do so with impunity. The city‘s water supply is another major cause for worry. Water-borne epidemics – such as the brain-eating amoeba colloquially known as Naegleria fowleri – are commonplace in Karachi. Greenery is a really welcome influence on any place. However, here continues constant denudation and felling of trees to make room for those concrete monstrosities, the multi-storeyed apartment blocks and shopping plazas. Apart from the fact that they have imparted a very grey, unattractive look to the city, giving it a blighted appearance, it has raised the average city temperature by a couple of degrees. Yet these structures (read eyesores) are coming up round the clock, catering to the capitalist avarice of the minions of the construction industry. It is tragic to see the city‘s puny wealth of greenery dying away so rapidly. The situation in other parts of the country too is least enviable. The 42 miles of highway between Lahore and Gujranwala, which was once a picture of delight with the lush green countryside, is not so any more. There‘s hardly any countryside left. The area is saturated with screeching industrial plants discharging their effluents into the waterways nearby and deleting the freshwater fish stocks which were supplied to the surrounding cities like Lahore. The area which was the country‘s largest rice-producing belt and even supplied the commodity to the erstwhile East Pakistan where it was the staple food, is just home today to low income housing colonies, car showrooms, and other manifestations of urbanisation with the greenery having made its way into the past. According to a study conducted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics at Islamabad back in 1983, a whopping 3.3 million arable acres of our land were lost to urbanisation in the form of small towns, railway halts, housing colonies, and other manifestations of small towns. No wonder while at the time of our inception as a nation in 1947-48, we were exporting wheat, now we have to import it. Besides, people uprooted from these agrarian lands crowd into the big cities creating urban squalor and slums and are a dead weight on these cities‘ ill-planned civic infrastructure. Small wonder then that today diseases like hepatitis and ringworms are so common in Karachi, thanks to the terribly polluted water we are condemned to consume. As for deforestation, the less said the better. Being an avid hiker and trekker, I visit the upper reaches of the country almost every year and it is painful beyond description to see the denudation of the mountainsides.

Every year the tree cover on the mountains seems to be thinner. Just one of the examples, Thandiani, a once-picturesque little village nestled 9,300 feet up in the Himalayas, 16 miles north of Abbottabad, is now a sight of tree stumps and trees falling away. An official once told me that minions of the furniture industry in Lahore and Karachi bribed the forest guards who allowed them to come and chop the majestic pines and cedars down in the light of gas lamps in the middle of the night. The worst effect of this deforestation is the flash floods we have. Those of us old enough to remember would recall the year 1988 when we had two floods within the same summer. Reason for that is that once a tree goes, it takes with it the topsoil which acts as a barrier to raging waters and it takes 2,500 years for the topsoil to regenerate itself. The trees act as a barrier to raging waters and the consequent floods cause immeasurable damage to human life and property. Of course, we are not alone at the helm of this cataclysmic stage. The whole world is undergoing an environmental crisis. The Amazonian forests in Latin America which were a highly balancing influence in the climate of the region are rapidly vanishing, all capitulating to the capitalist avarice of developers and builders. With the global climate change in the throes of which our planet finds itself right now, resulting in rising oceans, the picturesque island of Tuvalu in the South Pacific will have gone into the icy depths of the ocean forever. President Donald Trump‘s pulling the United States out of the Paris Accord on Climate Change and Environment is certainly not going to make things any better. He seems to read political implications into it when he says, ―The agreement is less about climate and more about other countries gaining a financial advantage over the US.‖ Environmental degradation is a very real threat to the perpetuation of the human race and a person in Trump‘s position in global affairs where he is supposed to be guiding the destiny of the world is expected to have the intellectual acumen to gauge the dilemma stemming from the environmental rot that the world finds itself in the throes of today. (By Anll Datta The News 14, 05/06/2017)

Pakistan Navy dedicated to protecting marine environment’ To mark World Environment Day, observed internationally on June 5, the Pakistan Navy arranged multiple activities aimed at promoting awareness among the public, concerned agencies and departments, with particular focus on marine environment protection. The theme for this year was ‗Connecting People to Nature‘ with the aim of making people realise that preservation of nature was in fact essential to secure our environment for future generations. The Pakistan Navy‘s activities included lectures on the significance of World Environment Day, design competitions and cleaning campaigns at harbours and coast area, in which navy personnel and locals participated together. In his message, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zakaullah reaffirmed the Pakistan Navy‘s commitment to make every effort for betterment of the environment, especially in the maritime domain. The naval chief emphasised that the navy‘s conduct in professional and private lives should be in line with best practices and principles of protection, preservation and conservation of environment.

The Pakistan Navy, he said, had always endeavoured to protect the marine environment and to ensure safer and cleaner oceans for everyone. Admiral Zakaullah further stated that PN would continue to play its due role in this regard and leave no stone unturned in contributing to this national cause. World Environment Day is the largest annual event for positive environmental action and commenced in 1972. This year‘s theme invited people to think about how they are a part of nature and how intimately we depend on it. (The News 14, 06/06/2017)

‘Bureaucratic hurdles to blame for failure of environmental laws’ Provincial secretary Baqaullah Unnar says people in Sindh still drinking poisonous water as untreated effluent continues to be dumped in freshwater bodies The provincial environment, climate change and coastal development secretary publicly conceded that the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014, had failed to yield the desired results, largely because of ―bureaucratic hurdles and other unforeseen reasons‖. ―This law could not help conserve environment in the province, as people are still compelled to drink poisonous water,‖ deplored Baqaullah Unnar while speaking at a seminar held in connection with World Environment Day on Tuesday. He said heaps of garbage could be witness in the province‘s capital, Karachi, and millions of gallons of sewage were being discharged into the sea without any treatment despite promulgation of environmental laws. For Unnar, the main reason behind the failure to implement the environmental protection act were ―bureaucratic hurdles‖ and, consequently, ―environmental conditions were worsening with everyday passing". Stating other reasons behind the deteriorating environmental conditions, the environment Secretary despite introducing several provincial and federal laws to prevent people from creating pollution, the masses did not pay any heed to follow the environmental laws. ―Nor the people care for the Islamic injunctions, as the religion has declared cleanliness as half faith.‖ He said people in Sindh were forced to drink poisonous water as industrial effluent and sewage was being discharge into freshwater bodies. ―On the other hand, millions of gallons of sewage are being poured into the sea without any treatment.‖ Talking about the metropolitan, he said Karachi was marred with heaps of garbage and litter was being burnt openly, causing air pollution and respiratory ailments. ―There is an immense need for creating awareness among people as well as regulatory bodies regarding taking environmental protection measures.‖ Along with disposing of garbage in a proper manner, he said, there was a dire need to address the growing problem of vehicular emissions and industrial air pollution on a priority basis. The environment secretary, however, vowed to take all proper measures to curb pollution in Sindh. ―We will do the needful to ensure that people live in healthy environmental conditions in the province.‖ The seminar titled ―Connecting People to Nature‖ was organized by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in connection with World Environment Day 2017 and it was addressed by senior water experts, academicians and environmentalists. A large number of people associated with conservation of nature, wildlife and natural resources attended the conference.

In his keynote speech, Prof Dr M A K Lodhi from the Texas Tech University, United States of America, talked about the energy conservation and called for taking measures to lower emphasis on burning of fossil fuel to minimise the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. He emphasised on the conservation of energy and exploring renewable resources of energy to connect people with nature. He hoped that in the days to come, reliance on fossil fuels would be minimised despite the fact that US President Trump had announced withdrawing from the Paris accord – a move that has been condemned from all quarters in the world. Another speaker, water technologist Dr Ahsan Siddiqui called for promoting organic food in the country and claimed that toxic heavy metals were being found in the fruits and vegetables as well as chicken due to it feed, use of untreated sewage and industrial effluent in the irrigation purposes. Environmentalist and former Karachi University registrar Dr Moazzam Khan called for promoting environmental awareness among people as well as including the environmental studies as a subject at schools. (The News 14, 08/06/2017)

Battery recycling workshops contributing to environmental lead: KU study

Highlighting high levels of lead concentration in roadside dust and plants and its harmful impact on health and environment, a recent study has described battery recycling workshops as a major contributor to environmental lead and suggested their removal from densely-populated areas. Titled Lead concentration in urban dust and leaves of street plants, Karachi, the study was jointly conducted by the Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), Karachi University, and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR). Hassan Farid, a researcher at the IES, carried out the study under Prof Zafar Iqbal Shams of the IES and Dr Farooq Ahmed Khan of the PCSIR. The study found varying levels of lead concentration in dust and roadside plants from 29 city areas including Aziz Bhatti Park in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum, Tariq Road, Commissioner‘s Office in Saddar, Sindhi Muslim Housing Society, Soldier Bazaar, Denso Hall, Jama Cloth Market on M.A. Jinnah Road, Finance and Trade Centre on Sharea Faisal and Merewether Tower. Highest concentration of lead in dust was found in Nazimabad No. 2 According to the study‘s findings, the highest concentration of lead in dust was found in Nazimabad No. 2, followed by Pakistan Quarters and Tibet Centre, whereas the lowest lead concentration in dust was found along Shahrah-i-Liaquat. The highest concentration of lead was found in the leaves of Conocarpus erectus at Dak Khana, Liaquatabad, while the lowest concentration was found in the leaves of Guaiacum officinale (lignum) at Quaid‘s mausoleum. According to the study, the main source of lead in the dust at designated sites seems to be the roadside workshops for welding and soldering, particularly recycling shops of lead-acid batteries. The used lead-acid batteries of motor vehicles are generally recycled and repaired in shops along busy streets of inner-city areas. ―Due to continued electricity shortages in Karachi over the past few years, demand for recycled batteries, often used in uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems, has increased dramatically. Inner-city areas have over 1,000 recycling shops of used lead-acid batteries,‖ it says.

These shops, according to the study, are located in densely-populated areas and contributing to environmental lead, suggesting that the work should be transferred to factories, where batteries are manufactured, for their proper recycling and proper disposal. It also highlights the adverse impact exposure to lead could have on human health and points out that urban dust is an important pathway that increases blood lead level (BLL) particularly in young children. ―Blood lead level in children living in Karachi has been studied over the past few years which demonstrate that children are currently exposed to high level of environmental lead,‖ it says. According to the World Health Organisation, lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems and is harmful to young children. ―Young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead and can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects, particularly affecting the development of the brain and nervous system. Lead also causes long-term harm in adults, including increased risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage. Exposure of pregnant women to high levels of lead can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight, as well as minor malformations,‖ the WHO website says. (Faiza Ilyas Dawn 17, 13/06/2017)

Sepa to conduct province-wide plantation drive from July 15 Environment secretary says harsh penalties would be imposed on tree cutters The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) will launch a province-wide tree plantation campaign with the onset of the monsoon season on July 15, environment secretary Baqaullah Unnar told a consultative meeting at Sepa complex on Thursday. The environmental watchdog agency would also impose harsh penalties on individuals and organisations involved in chopping trees in the province, said Unnar, who is also the secretary climate change and coastal development. ―We have decided to launch a plantation drive in the province with the onset of monsoon season on July 15 and in this regard, people from all walks of life and different stakeholders would be taken on board to make the campaign successful,‖ he said. Officials from various other departments, including district forest Shahzad Sadiq Gill, and experts from public and private sector organisations, including Ali Dhelvi from the WWF Pakistan, Dr Zafar Iqbal and Dr Waqar Ahmed from Karachi University‘s Institute of Environmental Sciences, Rafiul Haq from the Horticulture Society, environmental consultants Shahid Lutfi and Dr Lekhraj Kella, along with representatives from various other NGOs attended the meeting and presented their suggestions to make the plantation drive successful. Unnar said scores of plantation drives had been launched in the country since the creation of Pakistan, but he regretted that most the drives were, unfortunately, unsuccessful to yield the desired results. ―Vast lands in the province are turning into deserts due to lack of trees and vegetation. There is a dire need to plant new trees as even our agricultural fields lack trees and vegetation, let alone banks of canals and roads in main cities,‖ he deplored. He maintained that people had forgotten the importance of having trees in their neighbourhoods and despite wishing to see greenery and trees in their localities people were not ready to plant trees. He vowed to make the upcoming plantation drive successful by involving common people and adopting a participatory approach.

On the occasion, he announced imposing strict penalties on people and organisations chopping down trees and destroying vegetation in Karachi and rest of the province in the guise of development, saying no development could be carried out by cutting trees. Unnar said people should realise that it was a much-needed campaign in view of the rising temperatures in Sindh. He urged people from all walks of life to join the cause to save earth from global warming. ―The purpose of this meeting at the SEPA head office is to seek experts‘ opinion and to ascertain how this tree plantation campaign could be launched effectively and maximum number of saplings could be planted so that they could turn into fully grown trees,‖ he added. Speaking on the occasion, SEPA additional director general S M Yahya said the plantation campaign would be launched across Sindh as both rural and urban areas had ample space to plant trees and make the province greener. He invited all stakeholders to join SEPA in this cause and give their suggestions and ideas to further improve the plan. In his welcoming remarks, SEPA director technical Waqar Hussain Phulpoto said: ―Our effort is to take every sector on board in this campaign to make it a big success and achieve desired goals by planting saplings in every nook and corner of the province.‖ Earlier, in his detailed presentation, environmental consultant Shahid Lutfi briefed the meeting on how to effectively plan and implement a tree plantation campaign. He highlighted various segments that could be incorporated into the campaign to make it more organised and meaningful. Various experts were of the view that it was a must to know what type of saplings should be planted on a specific soil and for this purpose communities must be made aware to plant a right sapling at a right place. (By M. Waqar Bhatti The News 19, 16/06/2017)

Sepa holds public hearing of high-rise project despite scant public participation

Ignoring scant public participation in a meeting held to discuss the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of a high-rise project in Clifton, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) on Tuesday decided to go ahead with the ‗public hearing‘ that could be best described as an eyewash. Named Dynasty, the ground-plus-22-floor residential-cum-commercial project is to be built adjacent to Ocean Mall and Tower, main Khybana-i-Iqbal, Block 9, in Clifton. The plot measuring 4,263 square yards falls within the jurisdiction of Cantonment Board Clifton. Apart from Sepa officials and those linked with the project, there was hardly any public representation, especially those who are likely to be affected by the project, in the programme. Advertisement ―Would Sepa still call it a public hearing? This event should have been cancelled. But as the department has a tradition of carrying on with proceedings and approving projects whatever objections are raised against them, this is too much to expect,‖ said Zubair Ahmed Abro, a lawyer specialising in environmental issues, as soon as the floor opened for the question-answer session. Mr Abro was the only participant, apart from a journalist, among the audience who recorded his concerns over the project. He criticised what he said had become a norm at Sepa.

―How could you expect to hold a fair public hearing when (a) people don‘t know that a public hearing is being organised and (b) when the EIA report is not accessible to them? Till yesterday, this EIA report wasn‘t available on the Sepa website,‖ he said. Water shortage Mr Abro also questioned that how water requirements of the project would be met given the serious water shortages the city had been facing. Treatment plant ―We are told that the building‘s sewerage system will be connected with Treatment Plant 2. But lately through the commission the Supreme Court had set up, now it is known that the plant is not functional and its land has been encroached upon. In these conditions, how the project would work?‖ he asked. Challenging the air quality data shared in the presentation, he cited a 2007 World Bank study according to which Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 levels in the city were multiple times higher than the international and national environmental limits. The PM 2.5 and PM 10 limits of the project area mentioned in the presentation were 21.7 µg/m3 and 56.8µg/m3. Fifth most populated city Last year a WHO report declared Karachi the world‘s ―fifth most polluted city‖, followed by Peshawar and Rawalpindi. PM 2.5, the most harmful air pollutant to human health, is a particle matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that‘s found in soot, smoke and dust. It includes pollutants, such as sulphate, nitrate and black carbon, which penetrate deep into lungs and in cardiovascular system, posing high risks to human health. PM10 is particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter. Ban on construction About concerns related to the ban on the construction of buildings beyond ground plus two storeys in the metropolis, Imran Sabir of Sepa explained that the department wouldn‘t grant approval to any building project unless its proponent acquired a no-objection certificate from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB). The ban had been imposed this May by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on Supreme Court‘s instructions after the KWSB informed the apex court that it had deficient resources to supply for the increasing number of high-rise buildings. The ban does not affect the no-objection certificates (NOCs) the SBCA had issued for scores of skyscrapers planned before the ban‘s imposition. The project proponent, Premier Enterprises, however, claimed that the KWSB had notified through a letter (dated Jan 2016) that the board would provide them water and sewage facility as and when required. ―We will verify from the KWSB if they have given any approvals,‖ Mr Sabir said, asking the project proponent to explain how it would address traffic issues. Saleem-ul-Islam, project consultant for transportation, responded to him by explaining that sufficient parking space would be available within and outside the building and the project‘s peak hours wouldn‘t coincide with normal traffic rush. Earlier, Shahid Lutfi of Environmental Consultancy and Services, the consultancy firm that prepared the EIA report, shared salient features of the project as well as some of the report‘s findings. He tried to justify the project‘s need, citing that it would meet growing housing needs and create employment opportunities.

According to him, the project‘s approval by the Clifton Cantonment Board is pending whereas the Pakistan Air Force, the Civil Aviation Authority, K-Electric and the KWSB had granted NOCs to the project. ―The land is the property of the project proponent that has acquired permission for conversion of residential land use to commercial use from the land management department,‖ he said. The project had a dedicated fire fighting system, garbage/waste storage area and a provision for power generation through solar energy, he said, adding that concerns of the stakeholders had been addressed after meetings with them. ―The environmental impacts of the project are insignificant, of short-term and easily manageable,‖ he claimed. In reply to the queries related to air quality data, he said the data generated by Bahria University was correct and he stood by it. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn 17, 21/06/2017)

Sepa ignores calls for transparency at public hearing

The Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) went ahead with another public hearing on Wednesday, ignoring calls for transparency and access to complete information on an industrial project planned to be built in the Gadap Town area. How much due lawful process was followed in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report approval process was evident from Sepa officials‘ ignorance when they were repeatedly asked whether the project area was a notified industrial zone. The hearing pertained to the EIA report of an automobile assembling plant proposed by Pak-China Motors Private Limited. The EIA was conducted by Global Environmental Management Services (GEMS). This was the second time within two days that the environmental watchdog had organised a public hearing with negligible public participation. Clause 3, Section 17, of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014 states: ―Every review of an environmental impact assessment shall be carried out with public participation and, subject to the provisions of this act, after full disclosure of the particulars of the project.‖ Sepa clueless? Responding to repeated queries over the status of the project area, Sepa officials came up with confused statements in an attempt to justify their action of bringing the project for a public hearing. While S.M. Yahya, the additional director general of Sepa, explicitly told the audience that the agency would consult industries and the commerce department over its status, another official had something different to say. ―To our understanding, the project area is very much industrial. A number of poultry farms and hatcheries are operating there with a plant for soft drinks,‖ he said. Mr Yahya had earlier said: ―We came to know this today [that the project area is not a notified industrial zone] and we will [further] ask the relevant department [about it].‖ Citizens object to the construction of an industrial project in a residential area The conflicting statements from Sepa came after senior engineer A.A. Chandani in attendance objected to the construction of an industrial project in a residential area. ―The project area is not a notified industrial zone. It would be an illegal venture [if Sepa allows its construction in a residential area].

How many people sitting in the audience know this?‖ Mr Chandani asked, calling upon Sepa to meet the legal requirements of the EIA in letter and spirit. He also criticised the composition of Sepa‘s expert committee, the last stage for EIA report review on the basis of which the agency decides to accord approval to a project. ―We don‘t know who are invited for comments in that committee which should consist of experts who have a practical body of knowledge,‖ he said. Endorsing his comments, Zubair Ahmed Abro, a lawyer specialising in environmental issues, pointed out that Sepa by admitting its ignorance about the status of the project area had not followed Clause 1, Section 10, of the Sepa regulations 2014 under which the agency was required to carry out preliminary scrutiny. ―Within 15 days of filing of initial environmental examination (IEE), environmental check list or EIA report, the agency shall (a) confirm that the IEE or EIA or environmental checklist is complete for purpose of initiation of review process or require the proponent to submit such additional information as may be specified or return the IEE or EIA or environmental checklist to the proponent for revision, clearly listing the points requiring further study and discussion,‖ the clause states. He also criticised Sepa‘s decision to hold the hearing despite the fact that the EIA report was incomplete as it did not carry no objection certificates from the relevant departments — another mandatory requirement under the law — for instance from the industries and commerce department and the Malir Development Authority, the land owning department. ―Every IEE and EIA shall be accompanied by (a) an application in the form prescribed in Schedule-V (b) copy of receipt showing payment of review fee (c) no objection certificates from relevant departments in case of an EIA report (d) environmental checklist as per its guidelines,‖ says Clause 2, Section 9 of the Sepa regulations 2014. By allowing the project proponent to bring an incomplete EIA report, Mr Abro said, Sepa had deprived the few people representing the public in the hearing of their right to complete information, which was their fundamental constitutional right. On the scant public participation in the programme, Mr Abro said: ―If you exclude the representation of project proponent, project consultants and Sepa in this programme, there are hardly four people representing the public here. Why couldn‘t this public hearing be held after Ramazan that would have ensured more participation from the public and fulfilled an important legal requirement?‖ Surprisingly, while Sindh Madressatul Islam University located in Saddar was included in the EIA stakeholder consultation meetings and the EIA report talks about it, the Baqai Medical University and Hospital located adjacent to the project site had no mention in the EIA report. When this point was raised, Saleem-uz-Zaman, representing GEMS, said the EIA team went to the Baqai University thrice while the EIA was being carried out but ―there was no response‖ from them. On air quality concerns, he argued that the ―entire system would be enclosed and there was no threat to the environment‖. Answering a question about the quantity of total waste and its disposal, it was stated that the matter would be looked into once the project became operational. Earlier, a detailed presentation on the project was given by Jibran Khalid of GEMS, according to which the automobile plant will initially assemble diesel trucks for which parts will be imported from China.

Later, the plant will assemble 1,000cc passenger cars and sports utility vehicles within the next three to five years. The total annual mixed production capacity of the plant will be 10,000 units. The approximate area of the proposed plant is 37 acres with initial construction on 29,000 square metres covered area. The project was declared ‗safe‘ by the EIA consultants if mitigation measures suggested in the report were followed. Saquib Ejaz Hussain, an air quality expert who could not attend the public hearing as he was in Islamabad, shared with Dawn his concerns over the project. ―The EIA study in its present form does not address major environmental issues emerging from a vehicle assembly and its associated processes which include use of highly hazardous substances. ―The project is located in the midst of a sensitive area, including housing societies, and can pose a serious environmental/health risk. The site is not suitable for establishing such a large-scale industrial activity. In addition, the proposed vehicle assembly plant structures must be carefully designed to respond to seismic considerations of the area,‖ he said. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn 17, 22/06/2017)

Plastic pollution poses serious threat to marine life

How polluted our sea has become was indicated on Thursday when fishermen at sea around 270km south of Karachi caught a flat needlefish stuck in the handle of a plastic cup in their catch, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) reported. According to the organisation, fisherman Momin Khan took the fish on board with the aim to release it back into the water, but it died when he attempted to do so. ―Continued dumping of plastic products in the terrestrial and marine environment has become a serious threat to animals and plants inhabiting coastal and offshore waters of Pakistan. There is a dire need for efforts to control this pollution,‖ said Mohammed Moazzam Khan, technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-P. Plastic pollution, he pointed out, was also contributed through flotsam (debris not deliberately thrown overboard) and jetsam (debris thrown overboard by a crew of ship in distress) generated from ships, including fishing vessels operating in the sea. Advertisement ―Floating plastic is mistaken as food and many animals get entangled or stuck in such stuff with serious, often deadly consequences. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, restrict breathing of marine species, such as whales, dolphins, seals, seabirds, and turtles,‖ he said. It had been reported that globally one out of three marine mammals were found entangled in plastic litter, he added. Studies initiated by WWF-P show that on beaches such as Clifton, plastic pollution contributes up to 50 per cent of beached garbage. Now, even remote beaches along Pakistan‘s coast, including Kund Malir and Gwadar, are littered with plastic, which is affecting marine life, including sea birds along coastal and offshore waters. According to some estimates, around 6.4 million tonnes of trash, which mostly contains plastic, is dumped in the world‘s oceans every year. Around 90pc of sea birds take in plastic. Fish and other animals are also not spared as they consume microplastic or become entangled in plastic debris.

If plastic bags, bottles, toys and packaging material are not disposed of properly, they reach the sea and damage coastal ecosystems. Plastic waste, which decomposes very slowly, remains floating in the open sea or piles up on beaches. Senior director programmes at WWF-P Rab Nawaz called upon the local administration to ensure proper waste collection and disposal, especially in the coastal areas like Ibrahim Hyderi. ―There is also a need for creating public awareness of how to ensure minimum use of plastic in daily life and also promote use of recyclable material instead of plastic, a persistent chemical which takes hundreds of years [to decompose]. ―Accumulation of plastic in the ecosystem, especially along the coast and in the offshore waters, poses serious threat to marine biodiversity,‖ he said. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn 18, 24/06/2017)

Plastic pollution wreaking havoc on marine life along Pakistan’s coast Beaches in Pakistan, especially Clifton, are littered with plastic pollution contributing to around 50 percent

of the total garbage found on the beach. This non-degradable pollutant is seriously affecting marine life along coastal and offshore waters, maintained a World Wide Fund for Nature–Pakistan‘s (WWF-P) study on marine pollution in the country. The study released to the media on Friday, revealed that even remote beaches along

Pakistan‘s coast including Kund Malir and Gwadar are littered with plastic pollution. It has been reported that globally one out of three marine mammals have been found entangled in plastic litter. Similarly, researches indicate that around 90 percent of sea birds digest plastic. Fish and other animals are also not spared as they consume micro-plastic or become entangled in plastic debris, the study maintains. In a rare incident, a flat needlefish (Ablennes hians) locally called ‗Alore‘ was found entangled in the handle of a plastic cup by Momin Khan, a WWF-Pakistan trained fisherman, on Thursday around 270 km southwest of Karachi. The fish alive when found could not survive after fishermen tried to remove the cup, attached to its midsection, said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF-P‘s technical advisor (Marine Fisheries). Uncontrolled dumping of plastic products in the terrestrial and marine environment has become a serious threat to animals and plants inhabiting coastal and offshore waters of Pakistan. According to one estimate, around 6.4 million metric tons of trash, mostly plastic, is dumped in the world‘s oceans every year. If plastic bags, bottles, toys and packaging material are not disposed of properly, they reach the sea and damage coastal ecosystems. ―Plastic waste, which decomposes very slowly, keeps floating in the open sea or piles up on beaches. Pakistan is no exception to this, as improper dumping of city garbage at unauthorised locations such as along the shores of Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi, has resulted in an unprecedented increase in plastic pollution on the beaches and sub-tidal environment along the coastline,‖ the official maintained. He added that, ―Plastic pollution come from flotsam and jetsam generated from ships including fishing vessels operating in the sea. Floating plastic is mistaken for food items my marine animals who become engulfed in it, in most cases, with serious and deadly consequences.‖ Khan added that high concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, have found to restrict the breathing and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, seabirds, and turtles.

According to him, flat needlefish is a fast moving fish which usually misidentifies floating plastic cup for food and became entangled in them. ―No such case of entanglement was ever reported from any other parts of the world,‖ he added. WWF-P Senior Director Programmes Rab Nawaz urged the local administration to properly remove garbage from the city and called for adequate disposal at dumpsites and controlling of unauthorised dumping of garbage at Ibrahim Hyderi and other coastal areas of the country. He further stressed the need for creating awareness among the general public about rational use of plastic in their daily chores and also promoting use of recyclable material instead of plastic. ―It is a persistent chemical and takes hundreds of years before degrading.‖ According to Nawaz, accumulation of plastic in the ecosystem, especially along the coast and in offshore waters, poses serious threats to marine biodiversity; hence urgent steps are needed to address this growing issue all over the world. (The News 20, 25/06/2017)

Plastic products polluting Pakistan’s coast, say experts

In a rare incident, a flat needle fish, an ablennes hians that is locally called an alore, was ensnared in the handle of a plastic cup and caught on Thursday by Momin Khan, a Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Pakistan-trained fisherman, around 270 kilometres southwest of Karachi. The fish was taken on-board a fishing vessel and managed to survive with the cup attached to its midsection. Unfortunately, when the fishermen attempted to remove the cup and rescue the fish, it died. Studies initiated by WWF-Pakistan reveal that on some beaches, such as the Clifton beach, plastic pollution contributes up to 50% of beach garbage. Even remote beaches along Pakistan‘s coast, such as those at Kund Malir and Gwadar, are littered with plastic that is negatively affecting marine life along coastal and offshore waters. It has been reported that globally one out of three marine mammals have been affected by plastic litter. Similarly, studies indicate that about 90% of sea birds digest plastic. Fish and other sea creatures are also not spared, as they often consume micro-plastic or become entangled in plastic debris. Advertisement Ad Govt sets out to fix environment Uncontrolled dumping of plastic products in the terrestrial and marine environment has become a serious threat to animals and plants inhabiting Pakistan‘s coastal and offshore waters. According to one estimate, around 6.4 million metric tons of trash, which mostly contains plastic, is dumped in the world‘s oceans every year, said an official of WWF-Pakistan. If plastic bags, bottles, toys and packaging material are not disposed of properly, they reach the sea and damage coastal ecosystems. Plastic waste, which decomposes very slowly, remains floating in the open sea or piles up on beaches. Pakistan is no exception to this, as improper dumping of city garbage at unauthorised locations such as along the shores of Ibrahim Hyderi in Karachi has resulted in an unprecedented increase in plastic pollution on the beaches and sub-tidal environment along the coastline. ―Plastic pollution is becoming a serious threat in Pakistani waters. This is not only being littered on our beaches but is drastically increasing in offshore waters as well,‖ said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser of marine fisheries at WWF-Pakistan. He also said that plastic pollution contributes through flotsam and jetsam generated from ships including fishing vessels operating in the sea. ―Floating plastic is mistaken as food and many animals get trapped in it, with serious and deadly consequences,‖ he explained. High concentrations of plastic material, particularly plastic bags, are found

to restrict the breathing and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, seabirds, and turtles. Rs540m allocated to environment Khan added that the flat needlefish is a fast moving fish that possibly misidentified the floating plastic cup as a food item and became entangled in it. Rab Nawaz, senior director of programmes at WWF-Pakistan, urged the local administration to properly remove garbage from the city and called for adequate disposal at dumpsites and controlling of unauthorised dumping of garbage at Ibrahim Hyderi and along other parts of the coast. He also stressed the need to create awareness among the general public about rational use of plastic in their daily chores and also promote the use of recyclable material instead of plastic. It is a persistent chemical and takes hundreds of years before degrading, he said. According to Nawaz, the accumulation of plastic in the ecosystem, especially along the coast and in the offshore waters, poses a serious threat to marine biodiversity and resultantly urgent steps are needed to address this growing issue all over the world. (The Express Tribune 14, 25/06/2017)

Plastic pollution

FEW issues facing the globe are of such urgency as tackling environmental pollution. From climate to the food we eat, our very existence is impacted by it. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan, the unabated dumping of plastic products in the waters off the coast has become a serious threat to marine animals and to plants that are native to offshore waters. To illustrate the spread of pollutants, the organisation reported that a needlefish caught a couple of days ago 270km south of Karachi was stuck in the handle of a plastic cup. Studies carried out by the WWF-P show that on beaches such as Clifton, plastic contributes up to 50pc of beached garbage. However, it seems only the KP government assigns environmental pollution the importance that it deserves, and is taking measures to address it. The provincial environmental protection agency on Tuesday issued a notification banning the manufacture of non-biodegradable products across KP. The world is reaching a critical stage where environmental pollution is concerned — some would even argue we have crossed the tipping point. While Pakistan, in global terms, figures far down on the list of contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste, our disposal mechanisms of the solid waste that we produce and how we dispose of it has dire, ongoing implications for our quality of life. Non-biodegradable plastics leach harmful carcinogens, among other lethal substances into the soil, polluting our sub-soil water and increasing the health burden on the country‘s already overburdened health sector. When plastics are ingested by marine life, including by plankton — the lowest rung on the food chain — many of the toxins ultimately end up inside humans. According to a reputable organisation working on global environmental issues, there are over five trillion plastic pieces afloat at sea. Forward-thinking, civilised societies dispose of their waste responsibly and are increasingly switching to the use of biodegradable products. Other provinces should take a leaf out of KP‘s book. (Dawn 08, 26/06/2017)

First showers of monsoon season flood roads, disrupt power supply in city Water accumulated on many streets and thoroughfares of Karachi as various localities plunged into

darkness as soon as the first rain of the monsoon season lashed the metropolis on Wednesday evening following days of extremely hot and humid weather.

―Karachi has received the first showers of the current monsoon season this [Wednesday] evening under the influence of a rain system that is causing rains in Tharparkar since a day before Eid and caused rains in entire Sindh yesterday [Tuesday].‖ The Karachi director for the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Abdur Rashid, told The News: ―We are expecting more rains in the metropolis on Wednesday night and the entire Thursday because of the prevailing weather conditions.‖ Karachiites were experiencing extremely hot and humid weather since Sunday evening when the sea breeze to the city was cut off due to development of a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of the metropolis, and weather pundits predicted that Karachi would receive the first showers of the monsoon season from Wednesday evening to Friday evening. ―We were expecting rain in Karachi from Wednesday noon, but it started a little late, and we are expecting the intermittent rains and showers until Friday afternoon under the influence of the current weather system,‖ said the director, adding that it was the start of the monsoon season and more such rain spells were expected in July, August and until mid-September. The Sindh Building Control Authority also declared an alert regarding old buildings in dilapidated conditions in the Saddar and Lyari towns of the city, although no list of such structures was issued and no steps were taken to vacate them before the rain to protect the lives of the citizens residing in them. Many parts of the metropolis faced power breakdowns as reportedly dozens of feeders tripped, cables broke and underground cables caught fire as soon as it started raining. Until the filing of this report, dozens of localities across the city remained without electricity. According to reports gathered after the rain, around 50 to 60 per cent of the metropolis plunged into darkness following the showers, while the power breakdown at the Karachi Airport disrupted the air traffic operations; however, the K-Electric claimed that only 25 per cent of the area was affected. A spokesman for the power utility confirmed that around 400 feeders had tripped because of the rain, but claimed that many of them were restored and electricity supply to most of the areas had resumed. He said KE field teams had been despatched to restore power in the rest of the city. People from Gulshan-e-Hadeed in District Malir to Orangi Town in the West district, from Bilal Colony in District Korangi to Lyari in the South district, from Federal B Area in District Central to Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Gulistan-e-Jauhar in the East district complained that they were without electricity since 6pm, when it started to rain. Until the filing of this report, many of them had told The News that despite complaining to the KE, no teams had arrived in their respective localities as it continued to rain intermittently in various parts of the metropolis. Traffic jams were witnessed at Drigh Road on Sharea Faisal, where construction of an underpass is under way. The Karachi traffic police said there was vehicular mess at Drigh Road while traffic was passing slowly on Rashid Minhas Road due to accumulation of rainwater on various parts of the thoroughfare. Similarly, added the traffic police, a gridlock-like situation was also witnessed at Jauhar Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, near the Samama Shopping Centre on University Road, near the Safari Park and in many parts of North Nazimabad and North Karachi, where it rained the most. According to the Met Office, 26 millimetres of rain was recorded in North Karachi, followed by 20mm at the Model Observatory of the Met Office in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, 17.4mm in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, 16.5mm in

North Nazimabad and 12mm in the airport and PAF Base Masroor areas. More rain is expected in the wee hours of Thursday, said the Met officials. Prior to rain, Karachi Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra had declared a rain emergency across the city and vowed that he would not let the people face any difficulty, but no official or worker of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was seen anywhere in the city to provide assistance to the stranded citizens. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah talked to Vohra and Karachi District Council Chairman Salman Murad and assured them of the provincial government‘s complete support and assistance to the municipal organisations for providing relief to the citizens, draining out water from the roads and thoroughfares and helping out distressed citizens. ‗Swift power restoration‘ K-Electric feeders tripped in different parts of the city following the city received a heavy downpour but the utility‘s teams swiftly restored power supply to the affected areas, a spokesman for the K-Electric said on Wednesday night. The KE‘s spokesperson claimed that power supply to the city remained intact on Wednesday while uninterrupted power supply was provided to the major hospitals, the Dhabeji pumping station and the Karachi airport. ―The majority of the affected feeders were re-energised within a few hours after the rain. Moreover, the KE helpline and ground teams continued to work round the clock to address any localised faults,‖ he added. ―Following the rain forecast, the KE staff ensured strict vigilance and further strengthened its on-ground work force to ensure a swift restoration process. The power utility also maintained a close coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority, the Pakistan Meteorological Department and the city administration to extend effective support,‖ he added. The KE urged the public to stay away from broken wires, poles and transformers during the rainy and windy weather. The power utility also urged citizens to refrain from using illegal connections. ―Customers are requested to inform the power utility of any broken wires or other complaints by calling on 118 or 021-99000. Queries may also be sent via SMS to 8119 or through the KE‘s Facebook and Twitter pages.‖ (By M.Waqar Bhatti The News 13, 29/06/2017)

Hapless citizens run helter-skelter as downpour floods Karachi for a second day People ran helter-skelter in search of shelter as the pre-monsoon downpour lashed Karachi for a second

consecutive day on Thursday. With two children‘s drownings and a man‘s electrocution, the death toll due to rain since Wednesday has hit six. Vehicles broke down and left commuters stranded on flooded roads across the metropolis, as pedestrians took cover at filling stations and under nearby large

structures, bringing routine life to a standstill once more. All the thoroughfares were inundated with rainwater and many parts of the city plunged into darkness once the downpour began, as, keeping up with its long tradition, the K-Electric‘s delicate power distribution system failed all over again. The Karachi director for the Pakistan Metrological Department, Abdur Rashid, has forecast more rains in the metropolis on Friday (today), saying that the current spell would continue until late at night.

Victims of rainfall With three victims on Wednesday, the toll of rain-related deaths hit sixon Thursday when three more people, including two minor boys, were killed in separate incidents. Two children drowned on Thursday while bathing in the rainwater accumulated on the site of an under-construction underpass at Submarine Chowrangi. Clifton SP Assad Malhi said the residents of P&T Colony, mostly children, bathed in the submerged underpass. He said the police received information regarding the children‘s drownings through social media at 5:15pm, adding that he directed the Gizri police to verify the social media reports. Malhi said rescue workers fished out the bodies of 13-year-old Aftab Amjad and 12-year-old Ghulam Mustafa Yaseen, adding that they were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The locals staged a demonstration against the government when the bodies were handed over to the heirs after their autopsies. The protesters said the contractor should have cordoned off the construction site and installed warning signboards. In another incident, a man was electrocuted in Shah Faisal Colony No 5 as the heavy rainfall ripped down electricity cables and seeped into power sockets in many localities. Separately, an eight-year-old boy fell unconscious when he suffered an electric shock at Khilafat Chowk in Paposh Nagar. SHO Arshad Janjua said Salman was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. The locals said the electrical wires had ripped down in their area following the start of the pre-monsoon rain on Wednesday, but their complaints remained unattended. They demanded registering a case of negligence against the KE. On Wednesday 16-year-old Gul Nawaz was electrocuted while passing through a street in Docks Colony, 18-year-old Babar Ali Dino was electrocuted near the Maula Madad bus stop in the Chakiwara police precincts and a youth named Daniyal was electrocuted near Dabba Morr in Orangi Town. A messy metropolis Due to the downpour since Thursday evening, all major roads of the city were flooded. A large number of vehicles broke down and caused massive traffic jams. A snarl-up was witnessed on the main Sharea Faisal following the first rain spell on Thursday, but the downpour the metropolis received since the evening worsened the traffic situation on the city‘s busiest artery. Others thoroughfares such as II Chundrigar Road, University Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Shahrah-e-Quaideen, Jahangir Road, MA Jinnah Road, Manghopir Road and Qasba Colony Road were also inundated. Meanwhile, the low-lying areas of the city were also flooded. Rainwater in such localities entered the houses and mosques, adding to the miseries of the locals. A newly built underpass at Golimar was submerged in rainwater, as houses and mosques in KBR Society near Gujjar Nullah were also flooded. The game of power While large swathes of the city plunged into darkness amid reports of more than 400 feeders having tripped after the downpour, the KE issued a statement claiming that its systems were operating properly. The KE‘s rapid response team maintained strict vigilance on Thursday as the metropolis experienced another spell of monsoonal showers, claimed the spokesperson for the power company, according to Geo News. The spokesman maintained that the overall power supply system remained intact on the second day of rains as very few feeders were affected and were re-energised swiftly. Moreover, uninterrupted power

supply to strategic installations, including the Karachi airport, major hospitals and Dhabeji was also ensured, added the power utility. According to the KE, the utility‘s helpline and ground teams continued to work round the clock to address any localised faults. KE continued to urge the public to stay away from broken wires, poles and transformers during the monsoon season. The consumers were also requested to inform the power utility of any broken wires or complaints by calling on 118 or 021-99000. Queries may also be sent via SMS to 8119 or through the KE‘s Facebook and Twitter pages. Downpour’s statistics As a rain emergency was declared across Karachi, the Met Office released the statistics of Thursday‘s downpour: Gulshan-e-Hadeed received the most rainfall (30mm), followed by the airport (24mm), University Road (19.6mm), PAF Base Faisal (17mm) and Nazimabad (11mm). Meanwhile, the director of the Met Office confirmed to Geo News that their website had been hacked. The official said incidents like this usually occurred in an emergency situation. 100 dangerous buildings The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has declared 100 dilapidated buildings, mostly situated in the Saddar and Lyari Towns, as dangerous. An SBCA spokesman said the authority, keeping in the view the heavy pre-monsoon showers, had posted warning notices on the main entrances of the dangerous buildings and requested their residents to immediately evacuate them. The spokesman added that an emergency centre was established at the SBCA in Civic Centre and all the directors of the authority were put on high alert. (The News 13, 30/06/2017)

Karachi inundated as monsoon ‘preparations’ fail

Despite tall claims, the city administration failed to control the post-rain situation, as most parts of Karachi

were flooded with rainwater on Thursday. A few days ago, all the municipal authorities, including district municipal corporations (DMCs), the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and cantonments boards, claimed

they were fully prepared to deal with any rain-related emergencies, however, after the rain began on Wednesday evening, the truth came out. Gujjar Nullah Advertisement Like last year, the Gujjar Nullah has once again created problems for the residents of Federal B Area and North Nazimabad.

According to Hussain Jalaluddin, a resident of North Nazimabad‘s Block N, he has been living in the area for the past 30 years and for past several years, due to heavy encroachments, the nullah has overflowed every year during the rain.

North Nazimabad can be counted as one of the city‘s areas that have better planning and adequate urban design, with huge storm water drains constructed alongside main thoroughfares. Jalaluddin was of the view that North Nazimabad is can be counted among those areas with better planning and good urban

design with huge rain water drains alongside the main thoroughfares, such as Allama Rashid Turabi Road and near Peoples Chowrangi. Skies open up as Karachi experiences first monsoon shower He explained that these drains proved to be essential for the flow of water, however, for the past several

years, the drains were clogged with solid waste, causing water to overflow onto the streets. He recalled how in the past municipal authorities used to clean the drains before the rain but now they have no hope, as the provincial and local governments both try to pin the

blame on each other. This year the Gujajr Nullah was so filled with garbage that one can easily walk on it, Jalaluddin added. North Nazimabad is not the only area affected by the Gujjar Nullah overflowing; several block of Federal B Area were affected as most of the residential streets of the area‘s blocks 5, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 19 were inundated with water. Several cars were also stuck in accumulated rainwater near Ayesha Manzil and the water pump flyover. DMC Central Chairperson Rehan Hashmi admitted that the condition of Gujjar Nullah was not adequate enough to withstand the rain. He added that this was because of ill planning, as every year work on the nullahs is left in limbo and people suffer because of these policies. PM calls for precautionary measures to contain potential damage during monsoon rains He added just to satisfy media, encroachments were removed and plans to construct the road were

shared, however, work to remove encroachments came to a halt after the monsoon last year. Hashmi said that for now they have deployed heavy machinery on the Gujjar Nullah and things will be under control in several hours. They have sent out machinery to pump out water on streets in the district, he said.

Another drain in District Central that overflowed last year is in Shadman 14/A. Even though the situation on Wednesday night was precarious, it did not overflow. The main thoroughfare in North Nazimabad, stretching from Surjani Town, where the Green Line Bus Rapid Transport system is being constructed, was also inundated. According to a resident of the area, Shahrukh Ahsan, until morning the road was clear, but as soon as the rain began again everything turned into a mess. There are several choking points near Five Star Chowrangi, Sakhi Hasan and KDA Chowrangi, where it is difficult for cars and motorcycles to pass through. Inundated roads Several other areas of the city faced emergency situations after rainwater drains overflowed. The newly constructed section of University Road remained clear, however, one of its portions under the NIPA flyover was inundated with water and not even the footpath was visible. DMC East Chairperson Moeed Anwar said they are working to clear the roadside drain at NIPA, as there is garbage stuck in it. Not only NIPA, but Jauhar Chowrangi and University Road near NED University were also flooded due to construction work but Anwar claimed that the water would be removed soon. He blamed the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) for not clearing out drain engulfed with garbage and creating the mess. A resident of University Road, Jasim Rizvi, said that surprisingly the thoroughfare was clear. He mentioned that it is good that the municipal authorities can be seen working and clearing these roads, however, preparation could have save the government and citizens a lot of trouble. The recently constructed Tariq Road was also clear of rainwater.

Senior KMC Director Masood Alam said that wherever there is water it is just because of the solid waste and garbage stuck in drains, therefore with limited machinery and resources it will take time to control things. On the other hand Dr AD Sajnani, the managing director of SSWMB, said his teams are working in two districts – South and East – and it is due to his department‘s work that the situation is better than last year. Contingency plan issued to city’s hospitals The situation in Defence Housing Authority and Clifton was under control until Thursday evening. Khayaban-e-Shahbaz and Khayaban-e-Bahria were engulfed with rainwater but the water was promptly removed by Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) staff. A resident of the area, Khawaja Abbas, said that ever since the drains were installed by the CBC, the situation remained stable by and large, but there were some points where water accumulated. CBC sanitary inspector Amir Azeem shared that wherever there was water, machineries and staff were sent immediately and staff are to remain on standby until the rain stops. The DMC South chairperson was not available for comments. After the second spell of rain on Thursday water also accumulated in old city areas, Malir, Korangi, Lyari and Orangi Town. Official version Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director Hashim Raza Zaidi said that though there were power outages, with the support of generators all the sewerage pumping stations are working. Wet spell in Punjab likely to continue over next 3 days He added that he has asked water board staff to work in three different shifts in order work efficiently in this emergency situation. Zaidi pointed out that the due to load-shedding at the Pipri and Dhabeji pumping stations, 15 million gallons of water was not supplied to the city. Casualties One man who has yet to be identified was electrocuted to death at Qalandria Chowk in Sakhi Hassan area. Earlier in the day, a minor boy was electrocuted in Paposh Nagar in Nazimabad. He was wounded and admitted to the hospital. (By SHEHARYAR ALI The Express Tribune 13, 30/06/2017)

SC moved against ‘90pc deforestation, illegal land occupation in Sindh’ The Karachi registry of the country‘s top court has been moved against ―90 per cent deforestation in Sindh‖ and ―illegal occupation of the cleared forest land by political mafia of ministers and other public representatives facilitated by government departments‖. Qazi Ali Athar and others told the Supreme Court in their petition that millions of citizens were being adversely impacted by a destabilised climate system and catastrophic climate change across the country caused by massive deforestation, generally all over Pakistan but particularly in Sindh. They said forests were one of the natural resources to maintain a natural atmosphere and protect humans from the irreversible effects of climate change due to continual increase of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, from the burning of fossil fuels and other pollutants, the continuing allowance of toxic vehicles, industrial activities, coal-fired power plants, and burning of all types of wastes, including incineration of hospital waste – all negatively impacting the fundamental human rights. The court was informed that the federal and provincial governments, including the relevant departments, ―failed to take appropriate and perpetual steps to control the drastic increase of CO2 emissions in the

atmosphere and contributed to a destabilised climate system while ignoring the environmental services and importance of necessary natural heritage of forests‖. The petitioners said Sindh had a total of 2,858,748 acres of statutory-protected forest cover categorised as 605,583 acres of riverine forests, 182,314 acres of inland forests, 751,063 acres of coastal forests (mangroves) and 1,319,788 acres of rangelands. They claimed that due to shortage of water in the Indus River and unkind policies and political influence in the forest department, 90 per cent of the cover had been deforested and almost the entire cleared lands illegally occupied for agricultural purposes by political mafia, including ministers and other public representatives, facilitated by the forest and revenue departments. They said ―thousands of acres of forest lands have been allocated to private builders and developers in Nawabshah and Malir in violation of the forest laws‖, adding that the same practice to establish large-scale housing schemes under different colourful names on statutory-protected forests lands at prime locations near the Ghulam Muhammad Barrage, Jamshoro and in the Railo Mian forest range as well as small-scale housing schemes in Matiari, Miani and other forests were blunt examples among many others. The SC was told that ―besides deforestation of the Nasri riverine forest in District Shaheed Benazirabad, thousands of acres of the Kathor reserve forests, 24,877 acres of the Khipro reserve forests, Sanghar have been disposed of under colourful names of leases and thousands of trees have been felled and sold for millions of rupees under the forest department‘s nose‖. The petitioners said that around 23,535 acres of forest cover officially documented by the relevant department before the public vigilance committee under the chairmanship of the Matiari district & sessions judge ―is being encroached upon by political mafia in the district‖. They added that 5,000 acres of the Keti Khebrani Island, which was once a famous wildlife sanctuary for its unique characteristics, was ―completely leased out for agricultural purposes‖. The court was informed that ―thousands of shade trees have been replaced by the non-environmentally friendly Conocarpus only for the sake of monetary gains by political mafia and dumping of municipal waste in mangrove forests, which is particularly evident in Chashma, Fisheries, Ibrahim Hyderi, Kaka Pir, Machhar Colony, Rehri, Sandspit and Younisabad‖. The SC was requested to restrain the government, especially the forest department, and others from violating environmental laws and to declare all the forests of the country ―national assets‖ and ―protected zones‖ to improve their conservation. The petitioners asked the court to ensure maintenance of forest cover and to vacate all the allotted or leased lands from all kinds of land grabbers through an indiscriminate operation. They also sought an injunction against the lease of forests to private or local landlords or politically influential persons as well as cancellation of all lease under Sindh‘s Agro-forestry Lease Policy with regard to riverine and reserve forests in various districts of the province. They asked the court to restrain the respondents from deforestation of mangrove forests along the coastlines of Sindh in Badin, Thatta (Indus River Delta) and Karachi‘s East, Korangi, Malir, South and West districts. The petitioners also requested the SC to constitute a judicial commission to conduct an investigation into ―organised deforestation and degradation of forests and illegal occupation of the cleared lands‖. (By Jamal Khurshid The News 20, 30/06/2017)