Bio-Gas project launched to discourage abundant forest cutting

To discourage abundant forest cutting in Chitral district, Shandur Bio-Gas project was introduced after a successful experiment by a local NGO at Booni some 75 kilometer off here Monday.

Well-known social worker Sultan Mehmood Khan was chief guest on the occasion while Engineer Qadir Shah presided over the introductory session.

Addressing the event Managing Director Shandur Bio-Gas Muhammad Ali Mujahid said that people are compelled to cut forests abundantly for fuel consumption as natural gas is unavailable in Chitral and in summer season temperature is below freezing point. Besides cooking people are using wood for keeping their houses warmth which cause natural disaster in the shape of flood.

To overcome these damages Shandur Bio-Gas programme introduced. Bio-Gas is a byproduct of animal muck (cow dung) which is very cheap and economical as comparative to other gas. The process of Bio-Gas is to dug a 10 feet well with cemented base and walls which is filled with animals muck and covered then it produce gas which is used as a fuel for cooking and heating purposes.

To make this plan successful a nongovernmental organization is providing financial support for the success of this plan.

Speakers on the occasion demanded the government and NGOs to play their role in such planning in other parts of Chitral too as wood is very expensive and if this plan would become successful it would reduce forest cutting and the poor segment of the society would be benefited.

Sultan Mehmood, Qadir Shah, Allaoudin, Muhammad Ali Mujahid, ex-DHO Dr. Sher Qayum, Sarfarz Ali Khan, Social Organizer SRSP Fakhruddin, Nawab Ali Khan advocate, Zakir Muhammad, Zafarullah, Khan Sahib and others also addressed on the occasion.

Performance award for serving Chitral was presented to senior journalist and President Chitral Union of Journalists Gul Hammad Farooqi.

Talking to our correspondent Dr Sher Qayum said that Bio-Gas is health friendly and have no effect on health and environment. The plan will play vital role in eliminating of deforestation in Chitral.

Home air pollution put the lives of 2.8 bn at risk world wide: Study

Nearly three billion people risk ill health and early death merely from breathing the air in their homes that is polluted by fires made for cooking and heating, researchers said Wednesday.

Some 40 percent of the world's population, mainly in Africa and Asia, use wood, charcoal or coal to cook, warm and light their homes, according to a review published by The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. "These smoky, dirty fuels are often used in an open fire or simple stove, resulting in high levels of household air pollution in poorly ventilated homes," said a statement.  Led by Stephen Gordon of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and William Martin of Ohio State University, the team concluded that 600-800 million families worldwide are at higher risk of respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, asthma, lung cancer and other ailments as a result of the air they breathe at home.

Studies in India have found that household air pollution can be three times higher than on a typical London Street, and well above the World Health Organization's recommended safety levels.

"Estimates suggest that household air pollution killed 3.5 to four million people in 2010," wrote the team. On current exposure rates, about 2.8 billion people worldwide are considered to be at risk of premature death from breathing polluted air in their own homes

UN climate chief says 'door closing' on warming fix

UN climate change chief Christiana Figueres on Tuesday warned time was running out for meaningful action on global warming, citing the plight of low-lying Pacific nations facing ever rising seas.

Figueres, in Samoa for a UN conference on small island states, said the impact of climate change was greatest on Pacific nations, even though they had contributed little to the problem.  "Climate change is the greatest threat these islands face and they are recognised as the bellwether of global efforts to address this issue," she told AFP.  "Unless the world acts on climate change in a timely way, they are going to be the hardest hit."

Figueres said rising seas not only eroded the coastlines of island states, they also spoiled water supplies when they entered the water table and swamped agricultural land, rendering it barren.

Warming also meant more cyclones and storms battered the islands, while planning was underway for a worst-case scenario where populations of climate change refugees would have to be relocated from their homelands.  "Kiribati (which has purchased land in neighbouring Fiji) is probably the most famous, but countries as large as Papua New Guinea are already starting to identify which are their most threatened populations," she said.

"These are extreme measures that these islands are having to look at. Of course they, and the rest of the world, want migration of populations out of the islands to be kept at a minimum."

Figueres said the situation facing island nations underlined the need for progress in the quest to seal a global pact on greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2015. The UN wants to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, which scientists say is the minimum needed to stabilise the climate.

"The science tells us that we have to stay under two degrees temperature-wise and that the door is closing quickly," she said. "It's still  possible for us to stay under two degrees but we have to do it."

Island leaders have become increasingly vocal on the issue in the face of global inaction, with Seychelles President James Michel telling the Samoa conference that the interests of big business have dominated the debate for too long. "It is time that we recognise climate change for what it is -- a collective crime against humanity," he said. "Climate change... is robbing island nations of their right to exist. We must save our future together."

Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak said island nations had to get across a positive message about what needs to be done at a UN summit in New  York this month, which will be followed by an attempt in Paris next year to  forge a new climate deal. "The time for finger-pointing is long past... instead, we must recognise that there is no more powerful form of leadership that leadership by example," he said.

Pakistan's media under siege: 34 killed since 2008

Sarfraz ali

As many as 34 Pakistani journalists have been killed and dozes more have received death threats, abduction, torturing and assassination attempts from all sides including intelligence services, political parties and armed groups like the Taliban since the democracy was restored in 2008, Amnesty International said in a new report today.

In only one case those responsible have been brought to justice. A bullet has been chosen for you’: Attacks on journalists in Pakistan, describes how the Pakistani authorities have almost completely failed to stem human rights abuses against media workers or to bring those responsible to account.

Amnesty International has documented 34 cases of journalists being killed in Pakistan in response to their work since the restoration of democratic rule in 2008, but only in one case have the perpetrators been brought to justice.

But these killings are just the most brutal statistic – many more journalists have been threatened, harassed, abducted, tortured or escaped assassination attempts in the same period.

“Pakistan’s media community is effectively under siege. Journalists, in particular those covering national security issues or human rights, are targeted from all sides in a disturbing pattern of abuses carried out to silence their reporting,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia-Pacific Director.

“The constant threat puts journalists in an impossible position, where virtually any sensitive story leaves them at risk of violence from one side or another.”

The report is based on extensive field research into over 70 cases and interviews with over 100 media workers in Pakistan. It examines several recent cases where journalists have been targeted for their reporting by a range of actors.

Numerous journalists interviewed by Amnesty International complained of harassment or attacks by individuals they claimed were connected to the feared military spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). While some are featured in the report with names changed, others could not be included even under a false name because they feared for their lives.

The spy agency has been implicated in several abductions, torture and killings of journalists, but no serving ISI officials has ever been held to account – allowing it to effectively operate beyond the reach of the law. Human rights violations against journalists by the ISI often follow a familiar pattern that starts with threatening phone calls and escalates into abductions, torture and other ill-treatment, and in some cases killings.

Journalists are also victims of human rights abuses by non-state groups across the country. Aggressive competition for media space means that powerful political actors across the country put severe pressure on journalists for favourable coverage. In Karachi, supporters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) religious group and others stand accused of harassing or killing journalists they consider critical.

In conflict-ridden regions in the northwest and Balochistan province, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and ethnic Baloch armed groups openly threaten reporters with death and attack them in retaliation for seeking to highlight their abuses or not promoting their ideology. Journalists in Pakistan’s heartland of the Punjab have also faced threats from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi-linked groups.

Despite the wave of violence and attacks, the Pakistani authorities have largely failed to hold perpetrators to account. In the overwhelming number of cases researched by Amnesty International, authorities rarely adequately investigated threats or attacks or brought those responsible to justice.

Only in a handful of high-profile cases have more thorough investigations been carried out, and only after public outrage has made it impossible for authorities not to act.

“The government has promised to improve the dire situation for journalists, including by establishing a public prosecutor tasked with investigating attacks against journalists. But few concrete steps have been taken,” said David Griffiths.

“A critical step will be for Pakistan to investigate its own military and intelligence agencies and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations against journalists are brought to justice. This will send a powerful signal to those who target journalists that they no longer have free reign.”

Media enterprises operating in Pakistan must also ensure they provide adequate training, support and assistance to journalists, in an important, practical step towards addressing the risk of abuses while they are at work.

“Without these urgent steps, Pakistan’s media could be intimidated into silence. The climate of fear has already had a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the broader struggle to expose human rights abuses across Pakistan,” said David Griffiths. 

Youth come up with solutions to address global challenges

More than 60 youth from diverse backgrounds came together in Kathmandu, Nepal, over the weekend to compete in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) International SpaceApps Challenge. The two-day Kathmandu Hackathon was organized the other day by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and YoungInnovations in collaboration with CSIT Association of Nepal (CSITAN) and Robotics Association of Nepal (RAN).

The challenges provided by NASA were divided into five categories: Technology in Space, Human Space Flight, Asteroids, Earth Watch, and Robotics. The participants included developers, students with knowledge of Geographic Information System (GIS), engineering students, and entrepreneurs. They were divided into 16 teams and used publicly available data to design innovative solutions to address global challenges.

On the second day the teams presented their applications to a panel of four judges who selected team G10E with the project ‘Clean City’ as the winner of the SpaceApps Challenge 2014. The team was awarded a cash prize of NPR 30,000.  Team Cool Nepal, the first runners-up, and Team the Maker, the second runners-up, were awarded NPR 20,000 and NPR 10,000 respectively. Based on votes on social media, team Geo Trackers won the popular choice award.

Team G10E and Cool Nepal will now join the global International SpaceApps Challenge and will compete against 180 teams from around the globe.

Opening the event, the Director of SERVIR-Global, Dan Irwin, said the event offered bright young minds an opportunity to work with others from around the world to come up with innovative applications.

Speaking at the closing event, ICIMOD’s Director Strategic Cooperation Basanta Shrestha talked about the role of space technologies in forecasting natural disasters and reducing their impact.

Basanta Shrestha announced that in due course of time ICIMOD will select three innovative applications that link to ICIMOD’s thematic areas and extend financial support to develop them further.

The event, organized within the framework of SERVIR-Himalaya – an initiative supported by NASA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to improve environmental decision making in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. The event attracted aspiring developers from colleges and organizations who were building both software and hardware-related applications.

“It was exciting and fun for me, it gave me opportunity to discuss my problems with other developers, and what I have learned here will be useful for me in the future,” said Ashim Sitoula, an 18-year old student from Universal College of Preparatory School in Kathmandu.

Pakistan get minor aid for water and sanitation

Sarfraz Ali

Water aid disclosed in a report that only $0.53 has been received in water and sanitation aid for each person in Pakistan on average for the years 2010-2012”, unveiled a startling new report, Bridging the Divide, released by the international development charity WaterAid on the eve of World Water Day.
This is despite, 15.1 million people in Pakistan (8% of the population) not having access to clean drinking water and 92.8 million (53% of the population) going without basic access to sanitation.
The report argues that international water and sanitation aid is failing to reach those in greatest need, exacerbating global inequalities rather than reducing them.
Overall, Pakistan has received on average $94.15 million per year in water and sanitation aid, for the years 2010-2012. While Mauritius, which has a smaller population of just 1.3 million, received a comparable $73.8 million on average over this period, even though its rates of access to basic sanitation is over 90% and access to clean drinking water is above 99%.
Mr. Siddiq Ahmed Khan, Country Representative, WaterAid in Pakistan said: “The stated aim of international aid is to help the world’s poor break out of poverty and to live healthy and productive lives – and to positively address our fundamentally unequal world. With over 40,000 children under the age of five dying every year in Pakistan because of a lack of access to clean drinking water, basic sanitation and hygiene why is not more water and sanitation aid being targeted at those who are desperately waiting for these essential services in our country?” Over 400 people take part in World Walks for Water and Sanitation events in Lahore Pakistan on World Water day in solidarity with the people who are still forced to walk for water. During the side events with Legislators where 20 Parliamentarian of Punjab Assembly participated, they also wow to work to end water poverty and also supported in demanding universal and sustainable access to water and sanitation.
Despite globally 1 in 10 people lacking access to clean drinking water, and more than 1 in 3 without access to basic sanitation, most donors still allocate relatively low priority to aid spending to tackle this crisis, accounting in 2012 for just 6% of overall donor aid.
In addition, much of the promised aid fails to be delivered. Over the past decade donors have failed – for reasons unclear – to pass on a third of the money they pledged to spend on water and sanitation aid, or US$27.6 billion out of the US$81.2 billion since 2002 that has been committed.
The WaterAid report comes ahead of crucial discussions at the World Bank in Washington in April (10-11) where the Sanitation and Water for All partnership will hold its third High-Level WaterAid in Pakistan is calling for a dedicated goal on universal access to water and sanitation, as part of the new global post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals so that everyone, everywhere has access to these life giving necessities no later than 2030.
Meanwhile, “Bridging the Divide-using aid flows to tackle extremes in global water and sanitation scarcity”, the analysis highlights six countries that fall into all six categories, which includes DR Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger and Tanzania. Seven countries are in five of the categories: Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and India, and a further ten are in four of the six categories of need: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.
The report adds: “Safe drinking water and sanitation are human rights and critical determinants of development prospects, yet they remain distant, unattainable luxuries for hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest citizens. Although World Water Day 2014 sees over six billion people enjoying daily access to improved drinking water and the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for water achieved ahead of schedule, the overall picture is one of a major divide: abundance, even excess for some, yet scarcity or complete absence of safe water for others”. Global report stated that the inequality of access is one of the enduring characteristics of the sector. A typical person among the 768 million trapped in water poverty in developing countries is forced to rely on five litres of unsafe water a day, yet her counterpart in a high-income European country is likely to consume up to 30 times that amount of clean, safe water. This in turn leads to wide differences in the prevalence of water-related disease: diarrhoea is the second largest cause of child mortality in developing countries, responsible for over 800,000 deaths a year, yet it represents minimal risk and threat to children in high-income countries.
India, the legacy of discrimination and funding shortages has left scheduled castes and tribes disproportionately affected. In Nepal, certain remote villages in the Himalayan region receive no funding for water and sanitation from the government, donors or non-governmental organisations. There is a major gender divide too. Women and girls bear the main responsibility for collecting water in Sub-Saharan Africa, shouldering over 70% of the burden.
The global report also carries recommendations, which include: Commit to achieving universal access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030, with a dedicated goal in the post-2015 development framework: Water, sanitation and hygiene are essential for health, welfare and livelihoods. Yet too many people do not have these basic human rights. After 2015, we must do better, and the international community should commit to a dedicated goal on universal access to water and sanitation in the post-2015 development framework.