I HAD written on Sunday that Yousuf's conversion rates are getting higher and sure enough he got near a double hundred on Monday. He reminds me of Dennis Amiss of 1973 and 1974 and Viv Richards of 1976.

With 1315 runs under his belt this year, Yousuf now has a clear shot at becoming the second highest run scorer in a calendar year among the current players. Ricky Ponting has that standing with 1544 runs in 28 innings at an average of 67.13 in 2005. (Ricky also holds second position with 1503 in 18 innings at 100.2 in 2003).

The world record rests with Sir Viv Richards who scored 1710 in 19 innings at an average of 90.00 in the year 1976. Another hundred and Yousuf will at least equal most hundreds in a calendar year held by Sir Viv since 1976.

In the process of getting to 192, Yousuf has already leapfrogged over 7 batsmen including Gavasker in 1983 (1310 in 32 innings at 46.79) and Sir Gary Sobers (1299 in 13 innings at 144.33 — 824 of them coming in 8 innings against the Pakistanis in 1958 when he compiled 365 not out). Poetic Justice then that Yousuf went past Sobers' record while playing against his countrymen.

Yousuf now needs another 229 runs to cross Ricky Ponting and 395 to topple Richards as the highest scorer in a calendar year ever.

Unless West Indies put in an inspired fightback in this Test, the bearded Lahore batsmen has 4 potential innings in which to get them. Being a hardened patriot, he will be pushing his teammates to win by an innings and may not get all 4. But his coach and teammates should all be aware of this and support his push for the record. A flat track at Multan beckons but he will need luck of the sort he came across at the Gaddafi where he was dropped three times and given lease of life by the umpire.

But all that should not detract from the silkiness with which he batted on the two days. He is an artisan and the ground was his canvas. He took risks no less and true to character was attracted by the outswinger more often than not.

It was ironic perhaps that Yousuf went the way he did. It was Asoka De Silva who had refused a referral to third umpire on the second day when replays showed Yousuf's toe on the line. On the third, and many runs later than Lara would have liked, Gayle managed to get a decision that was cruelly denied to Dave Mohammad.

Asoka De Silva promoted from the second tier, has had a rough Test. He gave Gayle out on the first day when the ball hit him above the knee roll and was on the rise. He gave Sarwan out on the third evening in the same fashion. And he's not a tall man to be looking down somewhat. Even then some things are common sense.

In the same over in which he judged Gayle, he gave Lara not out when he was right in front. Nazir got a wicket he wasn't supposed to and was left out from one he deserved. Lara would rather have had Darrel Hair in this Test despite his racial connotations.

What was immensely pleasing to watch was the return to batting form of Kamran Akmal. He picked the right moment to shut out the dim hope the tourists must have had after their twin conquests.

The best thing about Kamran's batting is his strike rate. He is ebullient and goes for his shots. He has taken a lot of criticism for not scoring runs but it was always clear that his finger injury suffered early on the England tour was hampering him and it was only a matter of time before he would get back into the runs.

THE respective ministers, secretaries and directors heading the provincial offices of environment and industries must be breathing a sigh of relief that the seven children who were severely burnt last Saturday from the fire that erupted in the chemical dump in an open plot in Orangi Town, are now recovering and none have succumbed to their injuries.

Since memories are short, the incident will soon be brushed under the carpet after a few initial media reports and police investigations. It is unlikely that a legal action will take place against the criminals – allegedly a high profile multinational paint manufacturing company – responsible for the careless dumping of toxic waste in an open area accessible to children and other citizens.

Though the director-general of the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Mr Malik Ghauri is pursuing the case right now and has called all concerned from the SITE area and the environment and industries departments for consultation, he says that an eye witness is needed along with substantial proof that the fire was a result of toxic chemicals. So far the police investigation officer appointed for scrutiny has come up with the unofficial report that the children had fire crackers with them which was the main reason for the fire. While specimen from the dump has been sent to various laboratories including the PCSIR, there is also a chance that the incriminating toxic evidence might have already been cleared even before the police got to the area.

Whatever the final investigation report reveals the critical issue of irresponsible dumping and unprofessional handling of hazardous chemical waste is a prevalent practice in the SITE area and its environs which thrives, unchecked by the concerned ministries/agencies. DG Malik Ghauri, despite being concerned regarding these malpractices indulged in by the industries says that only red-handed arrest or eyewitness account can nail the offenders. But since there is information that illegal dumping does take place by a number of industries how difficult is it to place security personnel or a Rangers official to catch the criminals red-handed? “That is a good point,” says Ghauri, “and we will write to the Rangers department and ask for their help!”

The lethargy in being proactive is obvious. The residents around the SITE area and the Korangi Industrial area comprise the lowest section in Karachi’s social strata where deaths by toxic elements and contaminated water are the norm. In areas of Daryabad and Nayabad in Lyari, contaminated water has often been detected because of various factories situated in the area which obviously do not have separate industrial waste disposal lines. There are lead factories, soap factories, tanneries etc., which continue to mix their waste in the fresh water lines.

Last year in March, a similar incident had occurred, the outcome was the death of one child and lasting injuries to many among the 20 children injured/burnt by toxic elements saturated within a swamp in the SITE area. Nine-year-old Iftikhar lost his life because his whole body was poisoned as soon as he walked into the toxic swamp. His friends who survived now live their nightmare everyday as some had to have their arms/legs amputated to contain the poison from spreading through their body. Death perhaps would have been more merciful for them.

The culprits responsible for little Iftikhar’s murder and the life-long infliction of other children, were owners of a private company manufacturing chipboards which had turned two plots in the SITE area into a regular dumping ground. The area was near to where the kids used to attend classes in a madressah and they often strayed onto these plots to play in their free time.

Even though the parents of the little victims filed a petition in the Sindh High Court against the managing director SITE and the chief executive of the company responsible, nothing conclusive has resulted so far and the children’s families await justice. Monetary compensation of Rs100,000 was offered to the dead child’s poor father, who refused to accept it on a point of principle. The company was initially sealed for a few days on the order of the acting director-general of SEPA, Dr Iqbal Saeed Khan, but the industrialist lobby soon prevailed in reversing the order and as a safeguard, also got the acting DG transferred.

The present DG maintains that it was the initial order to close down the factory which was wrong not the fact that it was reversed. Since there was insufficient evidence, and follow-up investigations revealed that the factory was not dealing with toxic elements, the case was ignored because of insufficient evidence. The DG however says that if an eye witness comes forward even now, severe legal action can be taken.

Those previously involved in such legal actions allege that nothing ever comes out of pursuing a case against such powerful players like factory owners and multinational companies or even the ministries of environment and industries. Toxic waste dumping despite fatal repercussions is a prolific practice that continues unabated especially around the ‘no-go’ areas of Shershah, Orangi, Korangi and Sohrabgoth, where toxic effluent will surely be found if a spot check takes place. Unconfirmed reports state that effluent from tanneries and rubber factories freely flows down the sewerage lines.

Technology has increased levels and kinds of hazardous waste and ‘high-tech trash’ like computer components, circuit boards and electronic gadgets, is rapidly becoming one of the largest hazardous waste problems in most countries. Pakistan has been one of the countries used as dumping grounds for many developed countries and now large quantities of ‘e-waste ‘ from the United States are finding new disposal grounds in third world countries. Harmful to public health and environment, the e-waste must be monitored by our environment agencies, who are rather ill-informed about its correct disposal procedures. Since the enactment of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) 1997, the Government of Pakistan has taken rather unspecific steps to gain total control over industrial pollution in the country. And while the PEPA makes it incumbent upon industrial facilities to restrict their air emissions and effluents to the limits specified in the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS), the stipulation is blatantly being abused by Industries. The SITE industrial treatment plant – much touted by the Sindh governor, the federal minister for shipping and industries and the Sindh minister for industries as the great leap in industrial development -- still awaits an implementation strategy. In fact the office of the Sindh minister for labour, transport and industries remains uninformed and unavailable in most cases, such as the present case of the burnt children in Orangi, when the minister Mr Adil Siddiqui was unavailable for three days and the director press had no knowledge about the incident.

No one can say whether sufficient proof will ever be found to indict the concerned companies in the toxic waste dumping tragedies of last March and last week. But the environment and industries ministries at least should become more proactive to check random disposal of toxic and hazardous waste before boasting to the nation of industrial development.

LOCAL public circles have expressed concern over reports that two unlicensed pharmacies were functioning within the premises of Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) which was in the knowledge of the hospital administration. It is learnt that the licenses of these pharmacies had expired but their owners failed to get them renewed with the result that they were carrying on their illegal trade without any proper check by the hospital administration and the health department here.

The district drug inspector while confirming their unauthorized working added that because of their location within the hospital boundaries, legal action could not be initiated against them. The Chemists’ Association in their recent meeting also voiced concern in this regard and protested that their documents were checked every six months by officials of the health department but these pharmacies had never been checked by government agencies. In this connection, the association handed over a protest memorandum to an opposition MPA to take up the matter with the relevant quarters. It also decided to apprise the Punjab chief minister of this double standard of the local health department. According to a press release, MPA Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar discussed the matter with Principal, Quaid-i-Azam Medical College Prof Dr Syed Ali Ajwad Shah. Afterwards, the MPA was quoted as saying that the principal expressed his inability to get a case registered with the police against a pharmacy running without a license and from whose stocks medicines of the hospital were allegedly recovered.

On a query, BVH MS Dr Arif Saeed confirmed to Dawn that the licenses of these two pharmacies had expired and that they had applied for their renewal. He added now the procedure for renewal of licenses was under way by the health department.