KARACHI, Aug 5: Industrial growth in Pakistan, identified to be in its initial stage, enhances urgency for a pragmatic approach to strengthen it on the concept of “Cyclic Material Flow” with adequate use of energy and eco-system component as its inherent requirements.

Dr Iqbal Choudhary, acting director of HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Karachi University, in a presentation on “Industrial Ecology — Learning from Nature” here on Tuesday stressed that nexus between development and environment should be guaranteed for meaningful industrial progress.

According to him, industrial ecology with minimum provision for waste and increased capacities for dematerialization holds all the more relevance to Pakistan exposed to constant depletion of natural resources and fast rising population growth.

“Almost 60 per cent of energy needs of the country could be generated through natural resources available in Pakistan, but these are largely allowed to go waste,” the speaker regretted while referring to the poor understanding and lack of knowledge about the subject.

The known scientist was delivering the first of the series of lectures, organized by Higher Education Commission at HEC regional office here on Tuesday.

Dr Iqbal said that ecologically sound industrial units waste generated were not waste in exact terms, as it could be efficiently recycled.

He maintained that the policy-makers and industrialists in the country needed to have a proper vision for designing an environment friendly industrial base. The speaker particularly referred to the sugar industry, where the waste product of sugarcane could be utilized to generate energy, besides laying ground for a paper manufacturing industry in the country, which had been spending billions of rupees on import of paper.

He also highlighted the significance of molasses for preparation of Citric Acid and varied chemicals of immense industrial value.

Dr Iqbal reminded that oil refineries functioning in Pakistan should be further streamlined through provision for Hydro- Cracking Facilities, which could help country to be self- sufficient in raw material, required for pharmaceutical industry.

Regretting that Pakistan is yet to reach the stage, where constant inter-linkage between concept of development and sound ecology could be ensured, the speaker said that Hydro-Cracking Facilities were non-existent in Pakistan despite its immense utility.

Mentioning that the aim of industrial ecology is to interpret and get an understanding of natural system and apply it to systems designed by humans, he reminded that industrial ecology was a multi-disciplinarian field.

The vice-chancellor of Federal Urdu University, Dr Pirzada Qasim Siddiqui, who was the chief guest at the seminar, underscored the need to develop a culture of education and research in the country.

He maintained that this should be done on very strong lines to enable students, researchers and scholars to interact and make maximum use of their faculty of intellect and reasoning.

The vice-chancellor appreciated the initiative taken by the HEC, which besides other centres across the country has planned to hold a series, comprising eight lectures, in Karachi only, on weekly basis in the months of August and September.

Director General Curriculum HEC, Islamabad, Dr Altaf Ali Sheikh; Regional Director HEC, Karachi, Dholan Khiyani; and resource person for the series of seminars, Ghulam Hyder Khan also spoke on the occasion.—APP