Tag: environment

  • Shaniera Akram heartbroken over plastic mess on the beach

    When it comes to cleaning the beach and making sure it is trash-free, Wasim Akram and Shaniera Akram are on the forefront. The two have endlessly campaigned and worked towards keeping the beach clean by mobilising the government, authorities and residents of the city.

    However, this time Shaniera is heartbroken over the fact that no matter how many times they clean the beach, it becomes a mess again.

    “Every six months, we make conscious efforts to get this place cleaned up,” wrote Shaniera in a post on social media post. “We work hard to ensure there is no plastic waste lying around and polluting our beaches. Yet, even after two days of a clean-up, there is even more plastic wastage than the last time.”

    “Seeing this is heartbreaking, not only because our efforts are not showing any results but also because this plastic waste will be our downfall,” said Akram further, urging everyone to “protect the environment, recycle and reuse your plastic products, reduce your contribution to plastic waste.”

    Later, in a tweet, Shaniera urged food giants of Pakistan to take making recyclable packaging for their products.

    Last week, Shaniera penned a love letter for Karachi and expressed her love for the city by praising its resilience and diversity and comparing it to an eagle that looks into the eye without fright and remains devoted to where it belongs.

  • PM launches historic tree plantation campaign with 3.5 million trees in a day

    PM launches historic tree plantation campaign with 3.5 million trees in a day

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has launched the biggest tree plantation campaign in the history of the country, targeting a plantation of around 3.5 million trees in a day across the country.

    Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, he thanked all those who had participated in Sunday’s campaign.

    He said that Pakistan is among the top ten countries in the world most affected by climate change. “Our wheat production has fallen over the past two years due to climate change and unprecedented rainfall,” the PM said.

    “If we keep continuing on this path, then some of the areas will become deserts,” he said. “It is our responsibility to make the country green for future generations.”

    “The 3.5 million saplings that we have planted today is just the start. This is a constant, ongoing battle, [but] we are not doing this for us. We are doing it for the coming generations,” he further said.

    “This is just the beginning. he said, promising that trees would be planted in empty spaces across cities,” he added.

    The prime minister also urged women to participate. “The women have to participate the most,” he said.

    He added that the nation also had to focus on cleaning the country’s rivers, in addition to making the country green. “So first we have to make the country green by planting trees, but simultaneously we also have to focus on cleanliness and make our rivers clean once again. Planting trees will also help in cleaning our climate and lessening pollution,” he said.

    Earlier, in a tweet, the premier had invited everyone to join him today in planting trees all over Pakistan. He had also asked the parliamentarians, ministers, chief ministers, and Tiger Force volunteers to participate in the biggest tree planting campaign.

    “The target is 35 lakh trees in a day though we will try to exceed it,” the prime minister had said.

  • Army’s tenant Monal sealed over illegal construction activities

    Army’s tenant Monal sealed over illegal construction activities

    The popular Monal restaurant located in Marghalla Hills, which now pays rent to the military for occupying its land, has been sealed by the Islamabad Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Islamabad Chief Commissioner’s Office over illegal tree cutting for expansive construction activities.

    Climate Change Ministry Media Focal Person Muhammad Saleem told reporters that the action was taken after the restaurant’s illegal activities, which were initiated by its management a few days ago, were brought to PM’s Adviser Malik Amin Aslam’s notice.

    “Taking serious notice of the illegal activities, Malik Amin directed EPA to take legal action against the culprits,” he told the media, adding that besides sealing off the property, an FIR had also been lodged against the offenders at the Islamabad Secretariat Police Station.

    Regretting the significant loss of tree cover and land degradation in the restaurant’s vicinity, the Climate Change Ministry’s focal person said that he was thankful to citizens for sharing pictures of the land levelled area achieved after the massive cutting of trees on social media until it went viral.

    “Resultantly, the district administration conducted a raid on Tuesday evening and it was observed that images of destruction activities which had appeared in social media were authentic. During the raid, two persons namely Muhammad Sagheer and Muhammad Naeem were arrested on the spot whereas an FIR, NO 224/20, has been lodged in Police Station Kohsar, F/7,” he added.

    Further, Malik Amin, along with the Climate Change Ministry’s higher authorities will visit the damaged site on Wednesday and take stock of the damage Monal restaurant has caused to the land and trees.

    The ministry’s media focal person also said that tree plantation activities will be carried out by him in support with the local forest officials to rehabilitate the damaged land.

    It may be mentioned here that a case regarding stone crushing and other activities in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) was also brought before the Supreme Court (SC) wherein it was decided that all construction activities, private and commercial, would be ordered to immediately halt operations. However, a copy of the order is yet to be issued.

    ARMY STARTS GETTING RENT FROM MONAL:

    Amid the silence of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) over Pakistan Army’s land ownership claim at Margalla Hills, Monal in January started paying a monthly rent to Remount Veterinary & Farms Directorate (RV&F) General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi.

    According to a local news outlet, the leaseholder of Monal Restaurant has paid Rs484,008 as arrears of rental payment for September, Rs1,300,000 as rental of November, and Rs910,000 as rental of December 2019 to the RV&F GHQ.

    The building in which the restaurant is operating was constructed by the CDA and leased to Luqman Ali Afzal in 2006. It is now an iconic eatery of the federal capital.

    The city managers, while establishing this amenity by expending huge amount from public exchequer, never thought that the subject land does not belong to CDA as it was enjoying its sole ownership and absolute possession since 1961.

    However, tables turned around in 2016, when the army came forward with the claim that the said land was once allotted to Military Farms Rawalpindi in 1910 by then government of Punjab for the production of hay for army animals.

    To settle the over a century-old claim of the ownership of 8,603 acres of military land in the area, a meeting was held on November 8, 2016, under the chair of then defence minister.

    According to GHQ’s letters, it was decided in the said meeting to revert back the subject land to the owner, RV&F, after a joint survey by the ministry and CDA.

    Later, a survey was conducted on the request of the RV&F directorate to demarcate the military grassland at Margalla Hills, following which the demarcation was started in February 2017 and completed in May 2017. In it, a total of 8655.62 acres of land was demarcated as military grassland.

    In the light of said demarcation, the RV&F directorate conveyed the leaseholder of Monal that his building came inside 8655.62 acres land and he was asked to provide lease documents in addition to the payment of arrears and monthly rents to RV&F directorate instead of CDA.

    MONAL BUILT ON ARMY’S LAND:

    In November, a CDA official had told a parliamentary committee that the capital’s famous Monal Restaurant was built on military land and the army wanted it back.

    According to another local news outlet, Dr Shahid Mahmood had told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change that 15 years ago, the CDA “did not know it was building the restaurant on military grasslands until the army started claiming it”.

    The committee was told that the 22,000 acres of land — that are now a part of the Margalla Hills National Park — were actually owned by the Punjab government.

    Around 5,500 acres of the said land was allocated to the army, he said, although the exact year the allocation was made, was not stated. The CDA now owns 16,500 acres.

    The latest survey conducted by the authority revealed that the land allotted to the army is right in the centre of the national park, and Monal has been built on it.

  • Cleaner hands, bluer skies: what has coronavirus done for us?

    Deaths, economic meltdown and a planet on lockdown: the coronavirus pandemic has brought us waves of bad news, but squint and you might just see a few bright spots, AFP reported.

    From better hygiene that has reduced other infectious diseases to people reaching out as they self-isolate, here are some slivers of silver linings during a bleak moment.

    WASH YOUR HANDS!

    The message from health professionals has been clear from the start of the outbreak: wash your hands.

    Everyone from celebrities to politicians has had a go at demonstrating correct technique — including singing “Happy Birthday” twice through to make sure you scrub long enough, and hand sanitiser has flown off the shelves.

    All that extra hygiene appears to be paying off, at least in some countries, including Japan, where the number of flu cases appears to be sharply down.

    Japan recorded 7.21 million cases by early March — usually around the peak of the flu season that runs until May.

    That was far below figures for previous years, including the 21.04 million infections seen during the 2017/18 season.

    “We estimate that one of the reasons behind it is that people are now much more aware of the need to wash hands… given the spread of the new coronavirus,” Japanese health ministry official Daisha Inoue told AFP.

    CARBON CURBS

    Factory shutdowns, travel bans and a squeeze on demand spell economic disaster, but it isn’t all bad news for the environment.

    In the four weeks to March 1, China’s CO2 emissions fell 200 million tonnes, or 25 percent, compared to the same period last year, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

    That’s a decline equivalent to annual CO2 emissions from Argentina, Egypt or Vietnam.

    The slowdown in China also saw coal consumption at power plants there down 36 percent, and the use of oil at refineries drop by nearly as much.

    Air travel is also grinding to a virtual halt, achieving at least a short-term drop-off in emissions from a highly polluting industry.

    And there have been other environmental benefits, including crystal-clear waters in Venice canals usually choked with tourist-laden boats.

    Unfortunately, experts say the cleaner air may be short-lived.

    Once the health crisis is over, experts expect countries will double down to try to make up for lost time, with climate change concerns likely to be sidelined in a race to recover economic growth.

    SAVE THE PANGOLIANS

    The source of the coronavirus remains in question, but early tracking focused on a market in China’s Wuhan where a variety of live wildlife was on sale for consumption.

    A number of animals, including bats and the highly endangered pangolin, have been identified as possible culprits for the virus.

    As a result, China in February declared an immediate and “comprehensive” ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals that was welcomed by environmentalists.

    Beijing implemented similar measures following the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, but the trade and consumption of wild animals, including bats and snakes, made a comeback.

    This time the ban is permanent, raising hopes that it could end the local trade in wildlife.

    “I do think the government has seen the toll it takes on national economy and society is much bigger than the benefit that wild-eating business brings,” said Jeff He, China director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

    Reports linking the virus to the pangolin have also scared off would-be consumers of the scaly mammals elsewhere, with bushmeat vendors in Gabon reporting a plunge in sales.

    APART, TOGETHER

    One of the most difficult aspects of the stringent lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the virus has been loneliness, with families and friends forced to endure weeks or even months apart.

    But some people have found the measures are creating a sense of community spirit and prompting them to make more of an effort to check in with family and reconnect with friends.

    In Colombia, where a nearly three-week period of self-isolation is now in place, 43-year-old Andrea Uribe has organised everything from group exercise classes to family talent shows using video messaging programs including Zoom.

    “I have called my parents more often, I have talked to friends that I usually don’t talk to… I have organised Zoom meetings with friends in multiple countries,” Uribe, who works in development, told AFP.

    “It is wonderful to be forced to be there for one another. It has made me more creative. It just shows that we need to be present in people’s lives.”