Pakistan Environmental News

KARACHI: Provincial Ministers Saeed Ghani and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah have said that after the recent rains, the way the media was given the impression that Karachi was submerged, nothing happened but this year the situation was much better than last year. And except for a few low-lying areas, the drainage work was completed within two and a half hours of rain. Drainage cleaning was started from July 3 in collaboration with the World Bank and has been completed at 78 choking points of 38 major drains of the city while the rest of the city’s DMC level drains have been cleaned.

The Chief Minister of Sindh has also released special funds for this purpose. No member of the PTI, including the Chawal Wazir, was seen on the streets during the rains, while more than four committees set up by the Prime Minister for Karachi in the last two years have done nothing so far for the city. Not visible Claiming to clear millions of tons of garbage from drains; Chawal Wazir delivered only 20,000 tons of garbage to the landfill site during the cleanup and the remaining millions of tons he spread in the streets and alleys of the city. A private channel is currently playing the role of PTI’s B team and it is misleading the people under an organized conspiracy against the Sindh government. These views were expressed by the two provincial ministers while addressing a press conference at the Sindh Assembly Auditorium on Wednesday.

On this occasion, a documentary was also presented to the media regarding the work of cleaning the drains started by the Local Government Department. On the occasion, Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that after the recent rains, water accumulated in the low lying areas of the city and it caused inconvenience to the people. We apologize to them but the way the media reported the rain. The situation in Karachi was not like that later.

He said that in the past, when it rained so much, the city’s roads were flooded for several days and even the flights and rail system were paralyzed, but this time it did not happen and the city’s main highways, including Drainage work was completed in 2 to 2.5 hours as soon as the rains stopped from most of areas. However, some areas including Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B Area, PECHS and other low lying areas were flooded and Drainage work has also been completed through dewatering pumps. “Yesterday, I visited different parts of the city with friends of the media and in Soldier Bazaar, where there was a problem due to overflow of the drain, there were large stones that fell on the pipes of the drain while cleaning the drain,” he said. They were removed. He said that there have been incidents in the past where some conspiratorial groups have been making such moves to gloss over their politics and criticize the PPP government in Sindh.

He said that Nazimabad, KDA Chowrangi, Nagan Chowrangi where water comes from the hills and due to the green line service in these areas, water has entered the surrounding settlements due to water coming from both sides. Steps are being taken to prevent this from happening again.

Newspaper: BR

The post Media presented wrong impression of Karachi submergence: ministers first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

Safety protocols with regard to COVID-19 for all journalists and media workers issued by Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND)

The guidelines apply specially to all staff working outdoor including Reporters/ Correspondents, Cameramen, Technicians, Satellite Engineers, staff related to assignment and DSNG Operations Outdoor Assistants, Sales Personnel, any other staff specifically designated to perform official assignment outside office premises.

Goal of this guideline is to prevent our outdoor staff from getting infected from the external environment and also prevent external infection to contaminate our office and equipment.

Primarily it is the responsibility of the management of a television channel to provide all possible facilities and safety equipment/gear for the protection of the staff that is assigned outdoor jobs. The Director News should ensure that all such precautions are in place before a team is sent out on assignment. In case, adequate equipment/gear, as mentioned in the guidelines below, is not available, the assignment should be cancelled as safety of the team members, and rest of the staff working in the office, takes priority on everything.

 

Leaving office for outdoor assignment;

1. Wear mask before leaving office.
2. Wash or sanitize hands before leaving office.
3. All DSNG’s and assignment vehicles are sanitized after each assignment (by disinfectant spray on seats, steering, dashboard, door handle from both side etc.)

4. If you are traveling using your own vehicle you should sanitize after every use by using a spray of Dettol and water mixture. Using small spray bottle makes it more cost effective.

5. Before start of journey, ensure that you have sanitizers and gloves available in vehicle or withyou.

6. Try to travel to your destination with no or minimum physical contact with any other person or colleague.

Reaching assignment location;

7. Wear gloves before disembarking the vehicle.
8. Ensure you are wearing gloves and face mask properly before you touch any equipment or enter the assignment premises.

9. Enter assignment premises with outmost care and keep a safe distance from others and furniture and fixture of the premises.

Working at assignment location;

10. Use face masks and gloves all the time when you are working outdoor on any assignment.
11. Come in contact of persons, equipment and fixture at assignment location only if this is very important and unavoidable i.e., fixing collar mic, lifting purchased good etc.

12. Try to stay as minimum as possible at assignment, do not stay after completing assignment specially to socialize i.e., leave as soon as a video beeper ends and you pack up equipment.
13. Try not to eat anything on assignment location, specially served by others.

 

Leaving assignment location;

14. Dispose off gloves in Dustbin, don’t throw carelessly, before heading back.
15. Check all equipment is placed on appropriate locations. If you are given disinfectant please apply on equipment before storing in DSNG or assignment vehicle.

16. Try to maintain distance if possible with your colleague traveling with you. Arriving and entering office after assignment;

17. Before entering office dispose off your mask in nearest dustbin. Please avoid throwing it carelessly.
18. Immediately after entering office premises, wash your hands with soap for 20 Second if you are wearing a short sleeve wash hands up till elbow.
19. If washing is not possible please use sanitizers placed at different locations.
20. Store equipment and other items at respective locations and wash your hands again or sanitize.

 

Other important points;

1. Try to use your own vehicle for outdoor use and keep disinfecting the same by mixture of Dettol and water.
2. Keep giving feedback to administration and your departmental heads/supervisors in case of shortage of supplies like mask, soap, sanitizers etc.
3. Report if any of your colleague do not follow the above despite your reminders.
4. Washing hands and keeping safe distance are the key measures to avoid coronavirus.
5. All paper and plastic material should be handled while wearing gloves and masks as per the protocol of disinfection of Corona virus.

 

Safety protocol/measures for all journalists and media workers working within Office Premises:

 

Arriving at office;

1. Try to travel in your own personal conveyance with no or minimum physical contact with any other person.
2. Use face masks and gloves when you are travelling from your home to office.
3. Properly dispose off these before entering office premises in dustbin don’t throw them carelessly.

4. While entering into office premises you shall cooperate with the security and health scanning staff with respect to your health screening, which is utmost important for a SAFE work environment.

5. After entering office premises wash your hands with soap, if it’s not possible use sanitizer placed by Administration Department at different locations.

 

Working in office;

1. Try to wear masks within office premises as well; you can also contact Administration Department if you are facing difficulty in acquiring masks from open market.
2. If you are using a common/shared desktop system used by other team members as well, make sure that you are using disposable gloves to protect yourself and your colleagues.
3. Frequently wash your hands with water and soap for 20 second, in locations where water and soap is not available, you can use sanitizer.
4. Try to avoid face to face meetings as much as possible, conferencing through video link, using voice call or extension are more advisable these days.
5. Also do not forget to wash your hands with soap or sanitizer, after attending meetings or visiting the work station/office of your colleagues.
6. Try to use your own cup and glass for tea and water during office hours.
7. Please restrict yourself to your work station; and avoid making unnecessary visit to irrelevant floors and buildings.

Other important points;

1. In case if you identify or suspect any of your colleague or their family members suffering from COVID 19 symptoms, make sure that you bring the same into the notice of the HR Medical Facilitation Help Desk (MFD). Do not discuss the same with any other employee this promote gossip and misinformation which can result in chaos and confusion.
2. Employees assigned to work from office are responsible to avoid unnecessary mobility and follow following;
3. Avoid inviting guests at office and home.
4. Avoid visiting public places like parks, restaurants, shopping malls etc.
5. Avoid visiting relatives, family and friends who are suspected of Corona infection.
6. Observe health of your loved ones closely.
7. Regularly observe health condition of your domestic servants like maids, drivers etc. at home. In case of self-illness of staff or anyone from his / her immediate family and collogue, staff shall immediately inform the MFD.

It is the duty of all Director News to implement these protocols in their organizations.

Best regards and stay safe

Azhar Abbas President AEMEND

The post AEMEND issued safety protocols of COVID-19 for media first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

PARIS: Greenhouse gases thrust into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels are warming Earth’s surface more quickly than previously understood, according to new climate models set to replace those used in current UN projections, scientists said Tuesday.

By 2100, average temperatures could rise 6.5 to 7.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if carbon emissions continue unabated, separate models from two leading research centres in France showed.

That is up to two degrees higher than the equivalent scenario in the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2014 benchmark 5th Assessment Report.

The new calculations also suggest the Paris Agreement goals of capping global warming at “well below” two degrees, and 1.5C if possible, will be harder to reach, the scientists said.

“With our two models, we see that the scenario is known as SSP1 2.6 — which normally allows us to stay under 2C — doesn’t quite get us there,” Olivier Boucher, head of the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace Climate Modelling Centre in Paris said.

With barely one degree Celsius of warming so far, the world is already coping with increasingly deadly heatwaves, droughts, floods and tropical cyclones made more destructive by rising seas.

A new generation of 30-odd climate models known collectively as CMIP6 — including the two unveiled Tuesday — will underpin the IPCC’s next major report in 2021.

“CMIP6 clearly includes the latest modelling improvements,” even as important uncertainties remain, Joeri Rogelj, an associate professor at Imperial College London and an IPCC lead author said.

These include increased supercomputing power and sharper representations of weather systems, natural and man-made particles, and how clouds evolve in a warming world.

“We have better models now,” said Boucher. “They have better resolution, and they represent current climate trends more accurately.”

A core finding of the new models is that increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere will warm Earth’s surface more easily than earlier calculations had suggested.

If confirmed, this higher “equilibrium climate sensitivity”, or ECS, means humanity’s carbon budget — our total emissions allowance — is likely to shrink.

The French models are among the first to be released, but others developed independently have come to the same unsettling conclusion, Boucher confirmed.

By 2100, average temperatures could rise 6.5 to 7.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if carbon emissions continue unabated, separate models from two leading research centres in France showed. PHOTO: AFP
By 2100, average temperatures could rise 6.5 to 7.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if carbon emissions continue unabated, separate models from two leading research centres in France showed. PHOTO: AFP

“The most respected ones — from the United States, and Britain’s Met Office — also show a higher ECS” than the previous generation of models, he said.

This is bad news for the fight against global warming, which continues to face strong political headwinds and institutional inertia despite a rapid crescendo of public awareness and concern.

“A higher ECS means a greater likelihood of reaching higher levels of global warming, even with deeper emissions cuts,” Boucher and two British scientists — Stephen Belcher from the UK Met Office and Rowan Sutton from the UK National Centre for Atmospheric Science — wrote in a blog earlier this year, tiptoeing around the implications of the new models.

“Higher warming would allow less time to adapt and mean a greater likelihood of passing climate ‘tipping points’ such as the thawing of permafrost, which would further accelerate warming.”

A third to 99 per cent of top-layer permafrost could melt by 2100 if carbon pollution is not abated, releasing billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the air, according to a draft IPCC special report on oceans and Earth’s frozen zones obtained by AFP.

“Unfortunately, our global failure to implement meaningful action on climate change over recent decades has put us in a situation where what we need to do to keep warming to safe levels is extremely simple,” said Rogelj.

‘Oceans turning from friend to foe’

“Global greenhouse gas emissions need to decline today rather than tomorrow, and global CO2 emissions should be brought to net zero.”

The 2014 basket of climate models show Earth warming on current trends an additional 3C by 2100, and at least 2C even if national carbon-cutting pledges are all met.

The two French climate models, including one from France’s National Centre for Meteorological Research (CNRM), were to be unveiled at a press conference in Paris.

Express Tribune

The post Earth to warm more quickly, new climate models show first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

KARACHI: Speakers at a conference held to mark the World Ozone Day at a local hotel on Monday emphasized the need for environmental awareness and collaboration among all stakeholders to stop the use of gasses causing harm to the ozone layer.

They also urged the government to place a ban on ozone-depleting gases.

Organised by the ministry of climate change and HVACR Society, the event attracted a large number of climate change researchers, scientists and university students.

The theme of this year’s World Ozone Day is ‘32 years and Healing’.

Vice Chancellor of NED University of Engineering and Technology Prof Sarosh Hashmat Lodi, the chief guest, talked about the role Pakistan could play to strengthen international efforts against global warming.

“Collaboration among all stakeholders is important. Besides, there is also a need to put a ban on the uses of gases which damage the ozone layer,” he said.

Highlighting efforts of the government, national programme manager at National Ozone Unit, ministry of climate change, Zia-ul-Islam said efforts had already been initiated to create awareness on climate change in collaboration with various stakeholders including the United Nations.

“At the first step, we are creating awareness on gases harming the ozone layer and providing training to people who are engaged in the production of these gases,” he informed the audience, adding that so far 300 people had been trained in this field.

Referring to a case, he pointed out that this training process had shown promising outcomes. In 2018, the Customs officers at the Karachi International Container Terminal were able to seize a massive shipment of R-22 gas weighing around 18,000kg. The gas was being imported from China.

The audience was informed that R-22, a colourless gas also known as HCFC-22, was a powerful ozone-depleting substance and commonly used as a refrigerant and propellant.

Dawn

The post Govt urged to ban ozone-depleting gases in country first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

After the failure of the local governments and the federal government-backed cleanliness campaign to lift garbage from the city, the Sindh government has announced that it will clear Karachi of municipal waste to a great extent in one month period.

The announcement to this effect was made by Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah as he talked to media persons at the Sindh Assembly on Monday. He said the new cleanliness campaign of the provincial government would be launched on September 21, under which garbage would be lifted significantly from the city in just one month.

The local government minister informed the media that efforts would be made to enhance the garbage disposal capacity of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), after which its capacity to lift garbage from the city would be increased from 5,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes on a daily basis.

He also appealed to the media to play a positive role in the upcoming cleanliness campaign in the city by highlighting the cleanliness work in order in order to enhance the positive image of the relevant municipal agencies in Karachi.

He said the Sindh chief minister would also hold a meeting regarding the new cleanliness campaign. Explaining his government’s plan for the new campaign, the local government minister said the Sindh government would establish makeshift garbage transfer stations at different locations of the city for a proper disposal of the municipal waste at the landfill sites.

He said the Karachi mayor, the commissioner, the deputy commissioners and the chairmen of District Municipal Corporations would work under a joint and coordinated strategy to ensure the success of the cleanliness campaign. The Sindh government wanted to catch up on the backlog of the municipal waste in the city, he remarked.

A few weeks earlier, the federal government initiated a cleanliness campaign in Karachi with the aim to clean its drains and transfer its municipal waste dumped on public places to the designated landfill sites.

The campaign, which was titled ‘Let’s Clean Karachi’, was announced by Federal Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi.

In a tweet, Zaidi said, “with the help of the citizens of this great city, we will clean up Karachi from trash in next two week. #LetsCleanKHI.” The move came after Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar wrote to him on July 30 regarding the sorry state of affairs in Karachi following monsoon rains.

In the letter, Akhtar said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had requested the Ministry of Maritime Affairs to help the corporation clean the storm water drains on an emergency basis. “It will be an understatement to say that ports owe to the city and ports should shoulder there responsibility under CSR,” the letter read.

Speaking on August 1, Akhtar said that Zaidi’s tweet came after he wrote to him. When asked if the corporation or his party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), would support the campaign, he responded that if the federal ministry shared its plan with them, they would move ahead together.

Initially, the Sindh government welcomed Zaidi’s initiative. Addressing a news conference, then Sindh local government minister Saeed Ghani said it was good that the federal government had expressed its intention to do something for the people of Karachi. He assured the Centre that the Sindh government would extend every kind of help to the drive.

Ghani, however, criticised the MQM-P, saying that due to the failure of its local government representatives, Zaidi had to initiate a cleanliness drive in the city. “The KMC and DMCs have not been able to complete their sanitation work, as perhaps Ali Zaidi has come here to help them out,” he said.

He added that the federal minister had claimed that Karachi would be cleaned in 10 days and if it really happened, nothing would be better than that. However, later, the Sindh government censured Zaidi for the campaign and claimed that the federal government’s drive had turned the city dirtier than it was before.

Speaking on September 1, Ghani, who was then no longer the local government minister but had got the portfolio of the provincial information ministry instead, accused Zaidi of worsening the situation of garbage in the city.

He blamed the federal maritime affairs minister for the out-of-control garbage situation in Karachi after the heavy rainfall. He said mosquitos and flies had become a curse for the people of Karachi but the Sindh government was helpless in this regard as teams of the cleanliness drive initiated by Zaidi had been fishing garbage out of storm water drains and dumping it on grounds and streets.

Ghani maintained that whenever he raised objection to the mode of work of the federal government-backed ‘Let’s Clean Karachi’ campaign, Zaidi became annoyed and held him responsible for the issue of garbage in Karachi.

The News

The post As Centre’s drive fails, Sindh govt takes up ‘Herculean task’ of lifting garbage first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).

KARACHI: The cleanliness situation in Karachi has worsened after the onslaught of the monsoon season, but instead of taking charge and doing something about it, the issue has become a bone of contention between the Sindh government and the Centre.

Meanwhile, ‘na maloom afraad’ (unidentified persons) have made life a living hell for the residents of Karachi by choking the city’s sewerage system with sand-filled gunny sacks.

Last week, gutters in various parts of the city suddenly overflowed to cause disruptions and roadblocks, particularly for the peaceful Muharram procession. To look into the cause of the problem, the provincial government, with the help of civic authorities, started a cleanliness drive and found hundreds of sacks deliberately placed inside sewerage lines to block sewers.

According to officials, the sacks – filled with concrete, sand and other waste material – have been removed from many areas of the city, including Saddar, Baba-e-Urdu Road, Ranchore Line, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Federal B Area and PECHS society, among others.

“Throughout the cleanliness drive, we found bags placed inside manholes every single day,” Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani told The Express Tribune. “It is extremely regrettable that a few miscreants have created problems for the residents of Karachi, especially the mourners of the Muharram procession, by blocking the sewerage lines. The practice is intolerable.”

To tackle the situation, the Sindh government has decided to track the ‘na maloom afraad’ and has instructed the police to keep an eye on their respective areas.

“If caught, immediate action will be taken against the miscreants as this is a conspiracy to defame our government,” Ghani said.

Likewise, while speaking to the media, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the suspects involved in choking manholes with gunny sacks must be arrested immediately. He added that the entire city does not fall under the domain of Sindh government or KMC, as some areas are under the control of the cantonment boards.

“We are being held responsible for piled-up solid waste even in areas which are not under our control,” he said.

Shifting blame

On the other hand, Mayor Wasim Akhtar denied that there was any conspiracy behind the deliberate choking of gutters in the city and blamed the Sindh government and the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board for allowing heaps of garbage to pile up in different parts of the city.

“It is the negligence of the government which has led to the situation. We, at the KMC, are helpless when it comes to power and funds,” said Akhtar.

“We, with the help of the federal government, are trying to resolve this issue. In this connection, a committee has also been formed and the prime minister has already announced a package for the city,” he added.

Ghani, however, held the PTI-led government and its coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, responsible for ruining Karachi by using the issue of garbage for political gains.

“In the last few days, various claims have been made by the [PTI] government to resolve Karachi’s problems and yet another committee had been formed,” he said, pointing out that the prime minister had earlier announced Rs200 billion for Karachi, but only Rs12 billion has been allocated in the budget presented by the federal government.

Ghani added that the citizens of Karachi have been suffering because of the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi’s ‘Clean Karachi Campaign’, which, according to Ghani, has instigated “gutter politics” in the city.

“Instead of forming a new committee, the PM should check the outcome of the Clean Karachi Campaign, which was supposed to clean the city in merely two weeks,” he complained.

Karachi Committee

The Federal Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem, who heads the newly-formed committee to resolve the issues of Karachi, said that political parties and different stakeholders should join hands, instead of criticising each other and fighting on civic issues of Karachi.

“In the last 11 years, no one has focused on the issues of Karachi. But now, the prime minister has formed a committee to resolve garbage and other issues,” Naseem told journalists after chairing a meeting.

Sharing details of the committee, which comprises 12 members both from PTI and MQM-P, he said that unlike the past, the committee’s efforts will not be based on an ad hoc basis.

“We are working on an emergency basis to permanently resolve the issues,” he concluded.

Express tribune

The post Trash talk: As politicians spew filth, Karachi buries deeper under garbage first appeared on Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).