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NATIONAL SCENE: Mirani Dam a result of Wapda’s vision
THE Mirani Dam is a result of the Water and Power Development Authority’s (Wapda) “Vision 2025” and it was completed almost in time. Four more such projects will be built in Balochistan, said WAPDA Chairman Tariq Hameed.
Hameed said Mirani Dam would irrigate 33,000 acres of land, and if a drip and sprinkle irrigation system was used, the figure would go up to 50,000. “The dam cost Rs5.89 billion, Rs1.5 billion of which was disbursed as resettlement and compensation for people affected by the dam. It took four years to complete Mirani Dam, and around 500 people were engaged in the project during this period,” he said, adding that flood water that went to waste in the past would now be stored. The dam would bring about an environmental and socio-economic revolution in the area, he added.
He said WAPDA was trying its best to complete all ongoing mega projects in time. The chairman said that Nulang Dam, Subkzai Dam, Windar Dam and Hangoal Dam would also be completed one after the other. “The second dam would be inaugurated in March, and another would be completed by the end of the next year,” he said.
28kg tumour removed
A tumour, weighing about 28kg, was removed from the abdomen of a patient after a three-hour long operation at a private hospital in Bhens Colony, Bin Qasim Town last week.
Dr Amanullah Mugheri, general surgeon of Maryam General Hospital, who conducted the operation, said that on Saturday 45-year-old Nihala, wife of Saifullah, was brought to the hospital complaining of an aching abdomen. An ultrasound was conducted and revealed a tumour in her abdomen that was removed successfully after an operation.
Mother-child healthcare
Federal Health Minister Mohammad Naseer Khan has said that a five-year programme worth Rs20 billion has been approved by the prime minister for the mother and child healthcare programme in the country.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of a training workshop here on infant feed counselling at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the minister said that the government has taken a number of steps to improve the health of mothers and children and reduce infant death rate in the country.
Mr Khan said that the programme for mother and child healthcare started recently. Although it reduced the death rate among infants but the country lags behind in achieving the target set by the Millennium Development Goal.
He said that, annually, 0.3 million children die in Pakistan before approaching one year of age, adding that by adopting natural feeding within one hour, the mortality rate could be reduced by 22 per cent.
Experimental cultivation
Pakistan and Japan have decided to engage in a pilot project for conducting experimental cultivation of various local species of plants by using the “cultivation pot” technology in different locations of Pakistan.
This was agreed during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Environment Measurement Services (EMS) of Japan last week.
The EMS is engaged in research and development of materials and technologies for plantation of trees in difficult and dry terrains with emphasis on water-saving methodologies since 1973. It would now introduce a special cultivation pot in the country which was developed from environment-friendly recycled resources.
The PARC would enhance plantation in water-scarcity terrains of the country by using the cultivation pot technology.
Agriculture college
A project of Higher Education Commission (HEC) to set up an Agriculture college at the university of Sargodha has been approved by Central Development Working Party in its recent meeting.
The project includes development of 50 acres of land already provided to the University by the government of Punjab. Hostels will be built for girls and boys to meet the requirement of 500 students and 130 faculty members. It will include the latest developments in agriculture curriculum, teaching methodologies and laboratory standards as well as promoting effective research and development activities in the agriculture sector.
The project also aims to produce a trained and skilled work force, with focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, capable of employing knowledge inputs for the rapid and sustainable agriculture developments in Pakistan.
The academic programmes to be run at the college include a four-year BS in agriculture, an MSc and PhD as well as short courses ranging from two to four weeks in plant protection, computer application in agriculture, bee keeping, household pest management, poultry production, animal diseases, etc. Human resource development will include the training of 15 PhD students abroad who will return to form the institution’s faculty.
—Agencies
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