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Ministry approves nanotechnology project
THE MINISTRY of science and technology has approved a project worth Rs195.86 million for research and fabrication of scientific devices using nanotechnology.
“The government has constituted a National Commission for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The initiative reflects the interest being taken by the authorities in research and development of nano-materials,” said the federal minister for science and technology while elaborating on the significance of the project last week.
Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor Khan said the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission would execute the project within three years. The ministry and organizations affiliated to it were spearheading the government’s efforts to introduce and develop nanotechnology in Pakistan.
The minister added that the project was aimed at strengthening and supporting all existing nanotechnology projects being implemented in the country.
Quake and environment
People left homeless due to the Oct 8 earthquake are facing a host of environmental and health hazards because of unhygienic conditions and inadequate solid waste management practices in relief camps, leaving them vulnerable to epidemics, according to a report released recently.
“The danger of flash floods and more landslides; the pressure on dwindling natural resources, especially forests for fuel and shelter needs; the risk of heavy silting in rivers feeding into the Mangla Dam and those of haphazard reconstruction still continues,” said the World Conservation Union, the Worldwide Fund for Nature and CARE International in their joint report.
“These hazards have not only made them vulnerable to epidemics but are also giving rise to pollution,” the report cautioned. It urged that the issue of solid waste management be given high priority in all temporary settlements.
The report added that landslides had temporarily obstructed river channels at several places. “Between Hattian Bala and Chakaar, a massive landslide has completely blocked the course of the river across two valleys, creating two lakes.”
The height of the dike created by the landslide is approximately 200m long. The communities both upstream and downstream of this blockage are threatened by this situation, particularly if it rains heavily.
Bird flu
No traces of the Avian Influenza virus commonly known as ‘bird flu’ have been found in any of the migratory bird species in Sindh, according to reliable sources.
The sources said the Sindh wildlife department had netted six migratory waterfowl from different lakes of the province for testing to ascertain whether the deadly virus had travelled to the country with the annual winter visitors.
Two of the birds were caught from a lake in Mehar in Dadu district, another two from Manchhar Lake and the remaining two from Zero Point in Badin district.
The department sent the birds to the National Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, Animal Health Laboratories, in Islamabad, which carried out tests on serum, swab and tissues of the birds. Later the laboratory declared that there were no traces of the Avian Influenza virus in the tested birds.
Bird flu, which has hit various countries including China and Thailand, has created a worldwide scare. It is feared that the virus causing it might have travelled to Pakistan with the millions of migratory birds coming every year from Central Asia and Siberia.
A few dead waterfowl were found at some lakes in southern Sindh and some wildlife lovers have been expressing their concerns that infected birds might be among the migratory waterfowl arriving at the lakes.
They had asked the government to take precautionary steps and carry out the tests.
Ban on channels
Pakistanis will not be able to watch at least 35 cable television channels, as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulator Authority (Pemra) has barred cable operators from broadcasting “non-permitted” channels.
Two associations representing cable operators said they had received a list of banned channels, most of which were Indian. They said Pemra had asked cable operators to stop relaying the banned channels immediately.
“We have to close down more channels which we do not have permission to relay. The banned channels include Super Sports and Discovery,” said a spokesman for the cable operators.
“Pemra should take into account the entertainment and informative channels, which are of public interest and they should not be closed down.”
— Agencies
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