HYDERABAD: USAID director for Sindh and Balochistan Andrew Rebold has said that US government stands by Pakistan and Sindh governments in their hour of need and his country has provided $55 million for flood-hit people.

He said at the 5th convocation of US-Pakistan Center for Advance Studies in Water (USPCAS) in Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, on Friday that stagnant water was causing waterborne diseases among displaced communities in Sindh.

American government was making every possible effort to provide assistance to people of Pakistan in general and Sindh in particular, he said.

Dawood Engineering University’s vice chancellor Prof Dr Faizulalh Abbasi, who was chief guest at the programme, said that those who had obtained their PhD degrees should not look towards government for jobs.

He said that they should engage themselves with different companies and organisations and put their own expertise to use. USPCAS should play its role in helping flood-hit communities, he said.

MUET VC Prof Dr Tauha Hussain said that 250 scholars had so far completed their studies from this centre and of them 35pc were females. A large number of students and PhD scholars were serving in different fields and many were busy in research-oriented works in national and international educational institutions, he said.

He said that today 42 scholars had received their degrees inclusive of four PhDs and 38 those who did their post-graduation. He said that USPCAS was assisting various companies and organisations working in the environment, irrigation, water and drainage sectors.

Workshop on health

Isra University organised a workshop on Friday to create awareness about free medical camps.

The university’s VC Prof Dr Nazir Ashraf Leghari said that the university organised 16 free medical camps in collaboration with Pakistan Army in different districts of Sindh where 7,000 patients were checked, provided medicines and health education. It was their duty to help the people who were rendered homeless by the flood calamity, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2022