Water: Basic need of life -By Naseem Sheikh

Water may be a immense issue and clearly deserves monumental attention. Not solely is there a risk of decline in water provides however there’s additionally a probable  increase in demand. Like all resources, we’ve to manage offer and demand. meaning protective and managing water sources, managing demand and creating gains in potency.

In Islamic Republic of Pakistan there’s a larger decision to make massive dams to deal with water inadequacy and generate electricity. The matter with dams used for power generation is that in most cases they just displace water inadequacy from one place to a different.

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As a result of water inadequacy is such a vital issue, any construction should be preceded by a comprehensive impact assessment. additionally, Islamic Republic of Pakistan also can inspect alternative solutions – like star and wind.

Pakistan’s across the country Determined Contribution (NDC) document submitted to UNFCCC, as a part of its commitment to Paris Climate Agreement, states that so as to scale back up to twenty per cent of its projected emissions would need associate degree investment of roughly US$40 billion and for adaptation the need is between US$7 to fourteen billion annually.

The German think-tank “German watch” has hierarchal Islamic Republic of Pakistan variety seven on the list of states most liable to temperature change.

German Ambassador to Islamic Republic of Pakistan Martin Kobler isn’t simply a diplomat however an excellent fan of Pakistan’s exciting landscape and surroundings. His views on environmental conservation have gained overwhelming quality on social media, job upon the authorities to safeguard natural resources from degradation. “The challenge of resolution temperature change doesn’t consist funding, rather with decisive political action. The last government other over ten,000 Mega Watts to the energy grid as a result of there was a political resolve to try and do that. Finance continuously follows policy. the govt ought to take a call to combat temperature change that ought to be supported by concrete measures. However, coal shouldn’t be within the energy combine, because it can exacerbate temperature change.”

There are 2 pillars that outline Pakistan; the cordial reception of individuals and also the gorgeous landscape. From south to north, Pakistan’s typography is superb. It ranges from deserts to the mighty mountain range.

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It offers distinctive potential for commercial enterprise. However, this commercial enterprise ought to be eco-friendly, as where i am going, I even have ascertained there’s heaps of plastic waste.

Billion Trees tidal wave conversion Project (BTTAP) of KP and also the recently launched Plant for Islamic Republic of Pakistan project as a part of the government’s flagship comes to deal with the environmental challenges the country is grappling with temperature change is among the pressing problems with all times, to deal with this downside.

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we’ve the Paris Climate Agreement and being mortal to the present agreement, Islamic Republic of Pakistan should limit temperature change and heating to 20C. Currently, the population of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is quite two hundred million and will rise to

four hundred million by 2050. If the challenges of wood cutting (for fuel) and deforestation don’t seem to be self-addressed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, they’ll become issues in future.

BTTAP may be a superb project and it’s necessary to extend atomic number 8 within the air and scale back carbonic acid gas (CO2), lower temperature and increase rain. within the absence of forests, there’ll be climate extremes in future.

Temperature change may be a international downside and everybody encompasses a role to play. surroundings and temperature change ar among the highest thematic areas of the German Embassy in Islamabad. in conjunction with the event bank “KFW”, we tend to progressing to introduce a rehabilitation programme in Islamic Republic of Pakistan. European country has experience in rehabilitation and that we have one thing to supply to Islamic Republic of Pakistan, that we might wish to consult with the Pakistani government.

All environmental threats are antropogenic and that they can be solved by humans themselves- by Naseem sheikh

The environmental field has experienced a major transition in the past 20 years. Climatic changes are actually happening and Earth is heating up, the glaciers melting and water is being consumed by the growing population. The changing climate leads to changes in the frequency and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events.

Erik Solheim is the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) since May 13, 2016. He has an extensive career focusing on environment and development in government and international organisations.

In his first interview with The News on Sunday, Erik seemed hopeful to work with current government and further the conservation agenda in Pakistan. Regarding the environmental issues that Pakistan is grappling with, Erik Solheim stood clear that all these environmental threats are man-made and that they can be solved by humans themselves.

 Pakistan is among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change even though its emissions are less than one per cent in the global carbon trajectory.  What Pakistan needs, just like other nations, is a package of diverse measures. For example, the challenges that will be faced in the Northern Areas are not the same as those in Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Still, there are general principles: Pakistan can build-in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies into its development. That can apply to schools, hospitals, infrastructure and urban planning, for example. There also needs to be a focus on agriculture — for example how resilient is agriculture to fluctuations in water availability. There is also potential for reforestation work and action against deforestation, which will protect future generations and give them the benefits of the ecosystem-based services provided.

In addition, we need Pakistan’s voice on the global stage. It needs to be a champion of positive climate action. As you rightly say, Pakistan is paying the price for the carbon emissions of others. That’s an injustice that needs to be righted.

World Bank’s study reveals that 800 million people in South Asia currently live in areas that are projected to become moderate to severe hot spots by 2050, which includes Pakistan as well. We need to cut emissions. We need to secure water sources and manage them carefully. We need to plant more trees and protect existing forests. We also have to look at urbanization and how we manage to cool buildings — for example there are district cooling solutions that are far more efficient than individual AC units.

Pakistan is a country of over 200 million people. In remote areas where there is little to no electricity, forest wood is secured to meet energy requirements. The provincial government of Punjab has introduced commercial forestry in the wake of South Punjab Forest Company to encourage private investors to invest in forestry, so that wood-based requirements can be met.  Protecting our planet and our environment does not mean sacrifice. It means opportunity. Everybody has a voice and a role to play, from the smallest gestures to the biggest decisions. It is simply a case of making the decision to do the right thing!

Blue Carbon Sequestration at risk not only in Pakistan but globally- by Naseem sheikh

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Carbon is one of the most abundant chemical elements on Earth. It is universally abundant and essential component present in atmosphere, ocean and  human body. It is also part of carbon mono oxide and  carbon dioxide (a gas that comes from both natural and anthropogenic sources). Excess amounts of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is connected to climate change.It must be absorbed other wise it becomes a great risk for environment. Forests and other terrestrial plants are good carbon absorbers but aquatic plants are greater and more efficient carbon sequesters than these terretrial sources.

Carbon sequestered by way of aquatic plant, coastal sediments and coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, sea grass meadows or inter tidal salt marshes is called blue carbon. These blue sequester components protect people from coastal erosion, storms and flooding; also making them valuable for climate change adaptation and provide nursery grounds for fish.

Blue carbon sequestration is very important to control global warming, it absorbs carbon 40 times faster than terrestrial forests. terrestrial forests and plant biomass such as leaves, stems, branches or roots are pretty good at carbon sequestration, but their carbon stores are bound to the lifetime of the trees, for only 100 or so years, and then it is released back into the atmosphere,especially when it is cut down before maturity , blue carbon can be sequestered for years to decades, and for thousands to millions of years in underlying plant sediments
.

Blue carbon sink components include mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses, are found on every continent except Antarctica, cover less than 0.5% of the seabed. they are responsible for more than 50%, and potentially up to 70%, of all carbon storage in ocean sediments. These coastal ecosystems cover between 13.8 and 15.2 million hectares (Mha), 2.2 and 40 Mha, and 17.7 and 60 Mha, respectively. Combined, these ecosystems cover approximately 49 Mha.

One of the main concerns with Blue Carbon is the rate of loss of these important marine ecosystems is much higher than any other ecosystem on the planet, even compared to rainforests. Current estimates suggest a loss of 2-7% per year, which is not only lost carbon sequestration, but also lost habitat that is important for managing climate, coastal protection, and health.

A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves occur worldwide in the tropics and subtropics. Mangroves are being lost at a rate of 2% per year. Experts estimate that carbon emissions from mangrove deforestation account for up to 10% of emissions from deforestation globally, despite covering just 0.7% of land coverage.

In Pakistan, mangrove swamps of the Sindh coastal zone are extensive, covering 243,000 hectares (ha) compared with 7,400 ha along the Balochistan coast.

A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species. Marshes can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The three main types of marsh are salt marshes, freshwater tidal marshes, and freshwater marshes. carbon sequester rate in all three types is different.
Marshes have high productivity, with a large portion of primary production in below ground biomass. Marshes sequester carbon in underground biomass due to high rates of organic sedimentation and anaerobic-dominated decomposition. Salt marshes cover approximately 22,000 to 400,000 km2 globally, with an estimated carbon burial rate of 210 g C m−2 yr−1.

Tidal marshes are being lost at a rate of 1-2% per year. They cover roughly 140 million hectares of Earth’s surface. They have lost more than 50% of their historical global coverage. Pakistan is blessed to have more than 240 major wetlands including 19 Ramsar sites, which are international significant wetlands, covering an area of 1,343,627 hectares (3,320,170 acres) in Pakistan.

Seagrasses are a group of about 60 angiosperm species that have adapted to an aquatic life (here sponges, clams, small fish and other filter feeders thrive), and can grow in meadows along the shores of all continents except Antarctica. they are essential for coral reef formations. seagrass meadows form in maximum depths of up to 50m, depending on water quality and light availability, and can include up to 12 different species in one meadow.

Seagrasses are in global decline, with some 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) lost during recent decades. seagrasses are about 177,000 sq km left globally. ‘Seagrass meadows are negatively affected by impacts accruing from the billion or more people who live within 50 km of them.
Carbon sequestration rates in seagrass meadows vary depending on the species, characteristics of the sediment, and depth of the habitats, but on average the carbon burial rate is approximately 138 g C m−2 yr−1.

Keeping in mind the current scenario of such rapidly decreasing rate of blue carbon sinks,  practical steps must be taken  not only for survival of remaining aquatic plants but also for plantation of new plants and to safe their habitat because all thees are complexity inter connected and important for climatic control.

Blue carbon sequestration at risk. – By Naseem Sheikh

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Carbon is one of the most abundant chemical elements on Earth. It is universally abundant and essential component present in atmosphere, ocean and  human body. It is also part of carbon mono oxide and  carbon dioxide (a gas that comes from both natural and anthropogenic sources). Excess amounts of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is connected to climate change.It must be absorbed other wise it becomes a great risk for environment. Forests and other terrestrial plants are good carbon absorbers but aquatic plants are greater and more efficient carbon sequesters than these terretrial sources.

Carbon sequestered by way of aquatic plant, coastal sediments and coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, sea grass meadows or inter tidal salt marshes is called blue carbon. These blue sequester components protect people from coastal erosion, storms and flooding; also making them valuable for climate change adaptation and provide nursery grounds for fish.

Blue carbon sequestration is very important to control global warming, it absorbs carbon 40 times faster than terrestrial forests. terrestrial forests and plant biomass such as leaves, stems, branches or roots are pretty good at carbon sequestration, but their carbon stores are bound to the lifetime of the trees, for only 100 or so years, and then it is released back into the atmosphere,especially when it is cut down before maturity , blue carbon can be sequestered for years to decades, and for thousands to millions of years in underlying plant sediments.

Blue carbon sink components include mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses, are found on every continent except Antarctica, cover less than 0.5% of the seabed. they are responsible for more than 50%, and potentially up to 70%, of all carbon storage in ocean sediments. These coastal ecosystems cover between 13.8 and 15.2 million hectares (Mha), 2.2 and 40 Mha, and 17.7 and 60 Mha, respectively. Combined, these ecosystems cover approximately 49 Mha.

One of the main concerns with Blue Carbon is the rate of loss of these important marine ecosystems is much higher than any other ecosystem on the planet, even compared to rainforests. Current estimates suggest a loss of 2-7% per year, which is not only lost carbon sequestration, but also lost habitat that is important for managing climate, coastal protection, and health.

A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves occur worldwide in the tropics and subtropics. Mangroves are being lost at a rate of 2% per year. Experts estimate that carbon emissions from mangrove deforestation account for up to 10% of emissions from deforestation globally, despite covering just 0.7% of land coverage.

 

In Pakistan, mangrove swamps of the Sindh coastal zone are extensive, covering 243,000 hectares (ha) compared with 7,400 ha along the Balochistan coast.

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A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species. Marshes can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The three main types of marsh are salt marshes, freshwater tidal marshes, and freshwater marshes. carbon sequester rate in all three types is different.
Marshes have high productivity, with a large portion of primary production in below ground biomass. Marshes sequester carbon in underground biomass due to high rates of organic sedimentation and anaerobic-dominated decomposition. Salt marshes cover approximately 22,000 to 400,000 km2 globally, with an estimated carbon burial rate of 210 g C m−2 yr−1.

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Tidal marshes are being lost at a rate of 1-2% per year. They cover roughly 140 million hectares of Earth’s surface. They have lost more than 50% of their historical global coverage. Pakistan is blessed to have more than 240 major wetlands including 19 Ramsar sites, which are international significant wetlands, covering an area of 1,343,627 hectares (3,320,170 acres) in Pakistan.

Seagrasses are a group of about 60 angiosperm species that have adapted to an aquatic life (here sponges, clams, small fish and other filter feeders thrive), and can grow in meadows along the shores of all continents except Antarctica. they are essential for coral reef formations. seagrass meadows form in maximum depths of up to 50m, depending on water quality and light availability, and can include up to 12 different species in one meadow.

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Seagrasses are in global decline, with some 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) lost during recent decades. seagrasses are about 177,000 sq km left globally. ‘Seagrass meadows are negatively affected by impacts accruing from the billion or more people who live within 50 km of them.
Carbon sequestration rates in seagrass meadows vary depending on the species, characteristics of the sediment, and depth of the habitats, but on average the carbon burial rate is approximately 138 g C m−2 yr−1.

keeping in mind the current scenario of such rapidly decreasing rate of blue carbon sinks,  practical steps must be taken  not only for survival of remaining aquatic plants but also for plantation of new plants and to safe their habitat because all thees are complexity inter connected and important for climatic control.

 

 

A good step by Pakistani Nation towards Dam building, Sustainability and Hydroelectricity production- by- Naseem Sheikh

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Water level is decreasing rapidly due to poor management, lack of dams and water reservoirs, urbanisation and carelessly consumption.

water for irrigation and consumption is curbing in Pakistan.  Keeping in mind to fulfill the future requirements for water supreme court of Pakistan start a donation campaign for construction of Diamer-bhasha and Mohmand dams.

Donations can be made in the form of cash, cheques, pay orders, demand drafts, prize bonds deposited either at the counters or through online transfers.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar himself has donated Rs1 million to the account created solely for the purpose of raising money. The CJP’s donation was the first contribution to the said account, according to a press release on the Supreme Court’s website dated July 5, 2018.

Director General inter Service Public Relations pakistan (ISPR )Major General Asif Ghafoor also announced that officers of the army, navy and air force will donate two days’ pay for the noble cause while soldiers will pitch in with a day’s salary.

A statement from the Supreme Court stated On July11,2018 that all the officers of law department (BS-16 and above) will donate two days’ salary, and the staff (BS-2o to 15) a days’ salary of the current month for the construction of the dams.

The Pakistan Airline Pilots’ Association (PALPA) announced on Wednesday its members will contribute three days salary to the fund for the construction of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams.

Citizens can also donate Rs10 to the CJP’s dam fund by typing “dam” and sending the SMS to 8000 which will deduct the amount from the phone’s credit. The account, titled “DIAMER BASHA AND MOHMAND DAM FUND–2018”, has been opened by the Finance Division of the Government of Pakistan under the Supreme Court’s order. It bears account No. 03-593-299999-001-4 and IBN No. PK06SBPP0035932999990014.

Donations for ”Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund Account” are accepted at all Muslim commercial Banks (MCB) branches (IBAN NO PK09MUCB1022736261007751) .

Askari Bank is accepting contributions to Diamer Basha and Mohmand Dam fund -2018 through branches, ATMs, i-Net & Mobile Banking. IBAN PK29ASCM0000020100579803.

Construction of dams not only help in water storage but also for hydroelectricity production. Hydroelectricity is the need of the hour. And a great step towards sustainable and green way of living.

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Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a concrete-filled gravity dam, in the preliminary stages of construction, on the River Indus in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. Its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Yusuf Taxa Gillani of Pakistan on 18 October 2011. Upon completion, Diamer-Bhasha Dam would be the highest Roller-Compact Concrete (RCC) dam in the world. The dam site is situated near a place called “Bhasha” in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamir district, hence the name.

Upon completion, Diamer-Bhasha Dam would (i) produce 4,500 Megawatts of electricity through environmentally clean hydropower generation; (ii) store an extra 8,500,000 acre feet (10.5 km3) of water for Pakistan that would be used for irrigation and drinking; (iii) extend the life of Tarbela Dam located downstream by 35 years; and (iv) control flood damage by the River Indus downstream during high floods.

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Mohmand Dam is a proposed multi-purpose concrete-faced rock-filled dam located on the swat river approximately 37 km north of Peshawar and 5 km upstream of head works in the Mohmand Agency of Pakistan Federally Administrative Tribal Area (FATA).

Once completed, the dam will generate 740 MW of hydroelectricity, irrigate 15,100 acres of land and control floods downstream. It is expected to provide numerous estimated annual benefits including Rs. 4.98 billion in annual water storage benefits, Rs. 19.6 billion in power generation benefits by generating 2.4 billion units of electricity annually and Rs. 79 million in annual flood mitigation benefits.