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National scene: Hundreds of aftershocks since the quake
Pakistan’s seismic and weather experts recorded at least 140 aftershocks, with 21 measuring 5 or more on the Richter scale, since the earthquake on Oct 8 which killed more than 30,000 people.
“The first 48 hours after the quake are the most critical, but the frequency of the aftershocks declines gradually,” Chief Meteorologist Anjum Bari Farooqi said. He said damaged structures near the epicentre, particularly in Mansehra, Balakot, Muzaffarabad and its adjoining areas, might collapse if aftershocks of magnitude 5 continue to take place.
He said it was very rare to have two major quakes in quick succession. The pattern of the aftershocks, he said, showed that the epicentre was gradually moving northwards, and it was now 110km north of Islamabad.
Three significant shocks were felt on Sunday, measuring up to 5.9 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of this quake was about 200km East of Peshawar in the Hazara Division.
This earthquake was felt in Peshawar, Islamabad and Mansehra, along with other cities in the vicinity. Several aftershocks were also felt. — APP
Deaths and the environment
Almost a fifth of all diseases in poor countries and millions of deaths can be attributed to environmental factors, including climate change and pollution, according to a World Bank report.
The report claims that unsafe water, poor sanitation and air pollution were killing people and preventing economic development. Increasing soil pollution, pesticides, hazardous waste and chemicals in food are significantly affecting health and economies, adds the report.
More controversially, the report, released last week in New York, links cancers to environmental conditions and says global warming has a major impact on health. “For almost all forms of cancer, the risk of contracting this disease can be reduced if physical environments are safe for human habitation and food items are safe for consumption,” states the report.
Global warming, adds the report, is leading to lower yields of some crops and increased salination in coastal areas. “In 2000 more than 150,000 premature deaths were attributed to various climate change impacts, according to the World Health Organization,” says the report.
Oil and gas
The government would award 30 new licences in an effort to increase oil and gas production in Pakistan by the end of 2005, a government official said.
He said the onshore concession areas included eastern Balochistan, central Punjab and southern Sindh. The consumption of oil and gas in the country had increased at a rate of 6.6 per cent in the past five years.
He said the government wanted to increase the production of oil from 64,000 to 100,000 barrels and of gas from 3 to 5 billion cubic feet per day. Of the total gas consumption in the country about 38 per cent went to the power sector which sought even more gas. Wapda and KESC were demanding a larger allocation of gas to convert their fuel-based thermal power stations to gas.
Agreement
Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom, envisaging active cooperation in oil and gas development, an official told a local daily.
Under the proposed agreement, said the official, Gazprom would participate in offshore and onshore oil and gas prospecting in the country. The Russian firm would provide technical expertise, training and assistance in the construction of storage facilities.
According to the official, Pakistan might seek Gazprom financing for the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project alone, adding that “an international consortium might be set up the pipeline project.”
Gazprom, along with TotalFina of France and Petronas of Malaysia, is a major shareholder in the Iranian South Paras gasfield, which would be the source of gas supply to both Pakistan and India under the IPI pipeline.
A novel use of cellphone
Cellphones are reported to have proved many voters’ loyalty towards their favourite candidates in the recently concluded local government elections. According to reliable accounts, many voters photographed their stamped ballot papers, using their cellphones, which they later showed to certain candidates.
In Ravi Town of Lahore, the presiding officer seized two cellphones on a voter’s complaint and returned them after deleting pictures of the ballot papers. Later, the presiding officer received instructions from unknown people and thereafter did not prevent any voter from taking pictures.
When contacted, he said it was not wrong if the voter wanted to show a picture of his ballot paper to his candidate as this was not against the code of conduct.their votes. — Sci-tech World Report
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