09 January 2004	Friday	16 Ziqa'ad 1424

KARACHI, Jan 8: Sindh Environment Secretary Shafqat Ali Qarni has asked Karachi University scientist to help the industrial sector in solving environmental problems stemming from industrialization in the country.

He was speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of the two-day workshop on Environmental Chemistry at KU on Thursday. The moot was organized by the varsity' Chemistry department, as a part of the its seminar programme.

Mr Qarni appreciated efforts of various KU academic units for monitoring and resolving city's environmental problems, besides elaborating various programmes of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The resource person of the workshop, Dr Abdullah Shamim, presented an exhaustive overview of the environmental chemistry and the nature of environmental science.

He also introduced the audience to the soil and aquatic chemistry, besides answering questions from the faculty members and research scholars from local colleges and research institutions.

To a question, Dr Shamim explained the toxicity of chemical substances.Chairman, KU Chemistry department, Prof Dr Arif Kazmi, introduced the aims and objectives of the workshop and its significance for the country.

He pointed out that soil, water and atmospheric pollution caused numerous ailments among the working population, which affected their productivity. Dr S.I. Mohsin, Dean of KU Science Faculty , in his presidential address on the occasion, lauded the department for holding the workshop and hoped that the participants would be able to benefit a lot from it. Dr Akhlaq Ahmed and Dr Iftikhar Imam Naqvi also spoke on the occasion.-APP