pakistan

South Asia – the global pollution hotspot: Pakistan, India see fourfold increase in vehicles since 2000

Marked in economic development, population growth leading to increased energy, fossil fuel demand

Published

6 months ago

November 13, 2023

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South Asia - the global pollution hotspot: Pakistan, India see fourfold increase in vehicles since 2000

Toxic levels of air pollution are disrupting the lives of millions of people in South Asia forcing closure of schools, impacting sporting events and leaving governments urging people to stay indoors to avoid health problems.

The worsening air pollution is an annual problem for South Asian nations as winter approaches and cold, heavy air traps pollution in a thick layer of smog.

South Asia has become the global hotspot for air pollution, with studies finding four of the world’s most polluted countries and nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the region.

WHY IS POLLUTION IN SOUTH ASIA WORSE THAN OTHER PLACES?

Countries in South Asia have seen a marked increase in industrialisation, economic development, and population growth over the past two decades, leading to increased demand for energy and fossil fuels.

While sources like industries and vehicles affect most countries, there are certain major contributors that are unique to South Asia, including solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating, human cremation, and burning of agricultural waste.

About 38 per cent of the pollution in New Delhi this year, for example, has been caused by stubble burning – a practice where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields – in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

An increase in the number of vehicles on roads as the region has developed has also exacerbated the pollution problem. In India and Pakistan, for example, the number of vehicles has increased fourfold since the early 2000s

New Delhi, ranked the world’s most polluted capital for four years in a row by Swiss Group IQAir, has 472 vehicles per thousand people according to government data, with almost eight million vehicles plying on its roads as of 2022.

WHY ARE EFFORTS TO REDUCE POLLUTION NOT WORKING?

Although South Asian countries have started trying to curb pollution, putting together air quality management plans, installing more pollution monitors, and pushing for a switch to cleaner fuels, these are yet to yield significant results.

Experts say that the problem lies in a lack of coordination on pollution control efforts between the countries.

Dust particles can travel hundreds of kilometres, studies say, transcending national boundaries and impacting countries other than those in which they originate.

About 30pc of the pollution in Bangladesh’s largest cities, for example, originates in India and is transported to the country by the wind moving from northwest to southeast.

Countrywide or citywide measures to curb toxic air, hence, have limited effectiveness.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Countries across South Asia will have to coordinate efforts if the region’s pollution problem is to be solved, collaborating to enhance monitoring and make policy decisions. At the same time, these region-wide efforts will have to be balanced by moulding solutions to suit local conditions where needed.

In addition, the focus will also have to be broadened to include sectors that have received limited attention so far, such as agriculture and waste management.

To curb stubble burning, for example, governments can offer subsidies on better harvesting machines. Countries like India have already started offering such incentives but demand for such machines has been limited due to their high purchase cost and high waiting time for those who want to rent them.

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NA Secretariat accepts inclusion of independent members in SIC

Published

10 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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NA Secretariat accepts inclusion of independent members in SIC

he National Assembly Secretariat has accepted the inclusion of independent members (PTI-backed MNAs) in the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Dunya News reported.

The National Assembly Secretariat has released a list of 83 members of Sunni Ittehad Council on its official website after the approval of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

After the inclusion of independent members, Sunni Ittehad Council has become second largest party in the lower house of the parliament with 83 members.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had sent a notification regarding the inclusion of independent members in the SIC to the National Assembly Secretariat.

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Pakistan urges UN to reconsider Palestine’s full membership bid amid US veto

Published

10 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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Pakistan urges UN to reconsider Palestine's full membership bid amid US veto

Pakistan has called on the United Nations General Assembly to push the Security Council to reconsider and recommend Palestine’s application for full membership of the UN to rectify the historic injustice against the Palestinian people.

“The admission of the state of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations would constitute a concrete political step towards the two-state solution and towards rectifying the historic injustice against the Palestinian people,” Ambassador Munir Akram said in a meeting sparked by a US veto, which blocked an Algerian resolution on 18 April that would have granted Palestine UN’s membership.

The meeting was necessitated by “the veto initiative” — the informal name for a resolution adopted by the Assembly in April 2022, titled “Standing mandate for a General Assembly debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council.”

According to the measure, which was put forth following the repeated wielding of the veto at the Council, blocking action on other situations, the General Assembly has a standing mandate to convene within 10 working days of a veto being cast in the Council.

Palestine is a ‘Permanent Observer State” at the UN, meaning that it can participate in all UN proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies.

In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said, “The veto cast against Palestine’s admission erodes the credibility of the assurances that have been held out of support for the two-state solution.”

“The diplomacy now underway for peace in Palestine, in Israel and the region would gain considerable momentum if the veto was lifted and Palestine’s admission to the United Nations recommended by the Security Council.”

Ambassador Akram appealed to the United Nations and the international community at large to enforce an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; guarantee unrestricted access to humanitarian aid; prevent further escalation of the conflict; provide international protection for the Palestinians; revive the peace process and hold Israel responsible for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“Now, the extremist Israeli leadership is threatening an assault on Rafah which, as the UN Secretary-General has stated, ‘would be an unbearable escalation’, would have a devastating impact on the Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repressions on the occupied West,” he said.

Ambassador Akram highlighted the plight of the Palestinian people over the past seven decades, including the denial of self-determination, expulsion from their homeland, and enduring a prolonged and brutal foreign occupation.

The Pakistani envoy condemned Israel for its recent war crimes in Gaza, which had resulted in the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinian civilians, indiscriminate bombing, and the blockade of humanitarian aid, which the International Court of Justice has deemed as “plausible genocide.”

Ambassador Akram also hit back at the Israeli representative for making wild accusations against Islamic countries.

“Let me tell the Israeli representative that the outlawed Israeli regime cannot divert attention from its crimes by leveling calumny against the Islamic countries,” he said, adding, “Pakistan, unlike Israel, acts in accordance with international law.”

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PM Shehbaz saddened by passing of UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohamed

Published

10 hours ago

May 2, 2024

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PM Shehbaz saddened by passing of UAE's Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohamed

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences on Thursday following the passing of Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, the representative of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Al Ain.

“Deeply saddened by the demise of His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohamed Al Nahyan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the leadership and people of the UAE during this time of mourning,” the prime minister shared on his X timeline.

He emphasised Sheikh Tahnoun’s significant role in strengthening the bond between Pakistan and the UAE, stating that his contributions would be remembered for years to come.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also offered prayers for the departed soul, asking Allah Almighty to grant Sheikh Tahnoun eternal peace.

Born in 1942, Tahnoun was among the select individuals who had accompanied Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father, since an early age.

In response to his passing, the UAE government declared a seven-day mourning period

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