Still a student are you? Well, not to worry. These years will all appear precious in your eyes as time goes on. Money might be scarce during this period, but freedom is the key word for our student years, so I hope you'll make the most of it.
About PTI, don't know what your KPK friends tell you, but I think on the basis of what little I know that we're going about it the right way. I mainly appreciate the cutting off of the supply lines through the Peshawar area. And now the latest scandal hits us: the 35 punctures. 2014, according to my calculations, should bring about a resolution of many of the problems we're facing now. The two looming matters: US withdrawal and PMLN's mad rush to privatise will both take off seriously soon. Let's all be ready for Phase 2 then.
Life, stay well, stay strong and don't forget us completely through the coming year. God bless!
Statistics: Posted by Mirza Ghalib — Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:30 am
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About me, I am stuck in studies, this blanket is not letting me free. It won't stay the same very long hopefully. IK is falling for the dirty tricks of politics. Friends from KPK tell me what is really happening. I wish him best but I am afraid Khan is turning into a politician that we use to know.
Statistics: Posted by LifeH2O — Tue Feb 04, 2014 7:45 pm
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And now to the personal, Life. How are you? Your studies must be over. Have you found a good professinal niche in which to develop your talents. What are your thoughts these. Stay in touch, if you can. It's good to hear your voice again. Thank you.
Statistics: Posted by Mirza Ghalib — Sat Dec 14, 2013 10:51 am
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ISLAMABAD - With the award announced in the Kishanganga dispute by The Hague-based Court of Arbitration to divert only a minimum flow of water from the Neelum/Kishanganga River for power generation, the 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project would be badly affected and would have to be redesigned.
Background interviews and discussion with energy experts show that with the verdict of International Court of Arbitration, Pakistan would have to face around 150 billion annual loss as the designed capacity of 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project will be reduced by 150MW. The verdict has an ultimate impact on Pakistan as it will reduce water flow in the River Neelum, leaving very little water for Pakistan. They were of the view that the International Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of India on the diversion of Neelum (Kishanganga) water, setting aside objections by Pakistan that halted work on the 330MW Kishanganga Hydropower Project in Indian Held Kashmir. A detailed order in the shape of the fine print will be made public soon.
They were of the view that the verdict is a clear green signal for the Kishanganga project because Indian spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, announcing the decision on Monday late night, asked Indians to celebrate the coming Sunday as a celebration day.
Official sources, on the condition of anonymity, held Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Water Resources and Agriculture Kamal Majidullah responsible for the defeat in the legal battle over the Kishanganga hydropower project. Giving the reasons for this debacle, they said the team leader had no knowledge about trans-boundary water management. In addition, an undue delay was made by the government of Pakistan in the launch of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Plant, which was approved in 1989 and was to begin in 2002. “This vital point gave an edge to India that started Kishanganga in June 2006, while in Pakistan, On July 7, 2007, the Chinese consortium, CGGC-CMEC (Gezhouba Group and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation) were awarded the contract to construct the dam and a power station, said an official in the water and power ministry, on the condition of anonymity.
Arshad H Abbasi, a water expert, when contacted, made it clear that with the ICA verdict, Pakistan would have to redesign the 969MW Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and it would also cause reduction in hydel power. He said due to the disputed Kishanganga Dam, work on the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project had already been badly affected. At present, Pakistan is facing financial hardship in implementing the Neelum-Jhelum project. The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is also facing internal problems in generating funds for the project and the Finance Ministry is reportedly not providing funds, he added.
In 1960, Pakistan and India hammered out the Indus Water Treaty, which governs the sharing of water on rivers heading downstream from India to Pakistan. However, India had been racing to complete the 330MW Kishanganga project which would divert the River Neelam to Wullar Lake, leaving very little water for the Pakistani project, which is just 70 kilometres downstream from Kishanganga, thus reducing the power generation capacity of the 969MW Neelum-Jhelum plant by about 11 percent. On May 17, 2010, Pakistan instituted arbitral proceedings against India under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 and approached the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) against the violation of the treaty.
The arbitration went through tumultuous phases after New Delhi and Islamabad failed to agree on the nomination of three neutral judges. Both sides invoked a provision in the treaty under which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had to nominate Stephen M Schwebel, a former president of the International Court of Justice, as the head of the seven-member arbitration bench. The bench for which the two countries nominated two members each visited both sides of the LoC before beginning a detailed hearing which concluded on August 31 last year.
The seven-member International Court of Arbitration (ICA) barred India from undertaking any permanent works above the riverbed level at the Gurez site of the Kishanganga hydel project dam. Due to the effect of the stay order, work remained suspended for more than one year.
An official of Wand Power Ministry told this scribe that Pakistan needs Rs2 billion on a monthly basis to continue work on the Neelum Jhelum project. Due to the undue delay in the proper commencement of the Neelum Jhelum project, the cost of the project has ballooned from 84.5 billion to a staggering Rs 274.8 billion, which might result in an exorbitant power generation cost of over Rs 10 per unit, against the existing hydroelectric generation cost of 16 paisa per unit.
The burden of the costs arising out of delays and inefficiency is also expected to be transferred to consumers, as the government has decided to arrange 40 per cent of the required funds through a levy on consumed energy imposed by the Government of Pakistan
It is a matter of deep concern that a permanent works above the riverbed is not allowed. But India went ahead with the construction of a powerhouse, tunnelling works, constructing cofferdams, temporary bypass tunnel and concretisation under the riverbed for the dam. And the controversy owes its genesis to India’s plan to build a 330-megawatt hydropower plant in Held Kashmir across the Jhelum River.
The dam site is located 160 km upstream from Muzaffarabad and involves the diversion of Kishanganga River (called the Neelum River in Pakistan) to a tributary named Bunar Madumati Nullah of Jhelum near Bunkot. The diversion will change the course of the Neelum by about 100km, which will then join the Jhelum through Wullar Lake near the town of Bandipur in Baramula district. As a result of this diversion, the Neelum and Jhelum rivers which at present join each other near Muzaffarabad at Domail will meet in Indian Held Kashmir.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news- ... redesigned
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:03 pm
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SKYCAM 2, by Raja Sabri Khan.
In Pakistan, public anger against drone attacks carried out by the United States continues to grow.
From June 2004 through mid-September 2012, missiles from these unmanned aircrafts have killed 2,562 to 3,325 people in Pakistan, of whom 474-881 were civilians, including 176 children, according to the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, an independent journalist organization. Its research shows that out of a total of 351 attacks, 299 were done under the Obama administration.
The U.S. claims that these CIA-conducted drone attacks are the only way to kill militants and terrorists hiding in the mountainous terrain of northwest Pakistan. A report released by Stanford and New York Universities in September described these attacks as counterproductive for the U.S. and terrorizing for civilians residing in the targeted areas.
In November, however, The Guardian reported that Pakistan is building its own combat drones.
Raja Sabri Khan, a Pakistani aerospace design engineer, who has built drones for two decades, says that his country’s government doesn’t have the money to make combat drones yet.
Khan, who heads Integrated Dynamics, a Karachi-based private company, has pioneered drone technology for civilian use. The engineer speaks with SmartPlanet about why he makes drones, his buyers as well as the costs and the risks involved.
SP: For how long have you been making drones and why do you make them?
RSK: I’ve been designing and making drones for over 20 years. Why? Why do people climb mountains? Aerospace technologies have always fascinated me and drones are a great learning platform.
SP: What kind of drones do you make and what are they used for?
RSK: I design drones for civilian and surveillance applications. These are mostly under 20 kg weight (40 lbs). The lightest SKYCAM is under a kg. There are numerous civilian applications that we are targeting from wildlife monitoring, agriculture, search and rescue to environmental and land use surveys.
SP: What military purposes can your drones be put to?
RSK: Aerial surveillance and early warning systems.
SP: Can you elaborate a bit more on the civilian purposes for these drones? Perhaps a few examples of how your drones have been used outside of Pakistan?
RSK: All of our exports to Europe and Australia have been for civilian applications including land mapping, agriculture, environmental studies and as platforms for research into full-size collision avoidance systems in passenger aircraft.
SP: How long does it to make a drone and how much does it cost to make one?
RSK: Our SKYCAM drone takes about two days to build and costs around $250. The complete system with a real time video feed to a ground station costs around $1000.
SP: Who do you sell drones to and for how much?
RSK: We cannot sell to individuals. All sales and exports are to organizations and government entities under end-user certification from the Government of Pakistan.
SP: Do you have competition from other private drone-makers in Pakistan?
RSK: None. We work on mostly civilian applications while the rest are concentrating on military applications.
SP: The Pakistan military is reportedly making drones now. What’s your assessment of these drones?
RSK: Actually several government R&D organizations in Pakistan are developing drones for military applications in Pakistan.
SP: In the future, will Pakistani drones have the capability to carry out attacks like the U.S. Predator?
RSK: Let me give you an example which might provide some clarity on this question and the perception that the press has about drones. Drones are aircraft without pilots. Many countries around the world have the capability of building light aircraft for passenger use or civilian applications but this does not mean that the technology can be extended into their being able to conduct a full-fledged fighter development program.
An armed drone is a completely different animal from a surveillance drone in the same manner as a light aircraft, like a Cessna, differs from an F-18. Future capability means a lot of money in spending and complete commitment from the government’s point of view and this may not be an immediate priority.
SP: China’s making drones as well. What’s your assessment of Chinese technology compared to the U.S.?
RSK: I think the Chinese will be right up there very soon with the leading drone technology countries in the world including the USA and Israel.
SP: There is big push back against drones in Pakistan because of the U.S. attacks. Are people angry with your work and have you ever been at risk?
RSK: There is always a risk of being misunderstood, largely due to press hype, of the types of applications that our drones are capable of. I have always been a strong advocate for banning drone strikes. There are so many life-saving applications that can be realistically attempted using drones like search and rescue, flood early warning, avalanche monitoring and disaster management.
We are attempting to promote these applications through our ‘Drones for Peace’ program and the SKYCAM system which will be available throughout the world for civilian life-saving applications.
Photos provided by Raja Sabri Khan.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/global- ... maker/8279
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:03 pm
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By SEBASTIAN ABBOT
The 'Yi Long' drone by China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) is displayed during the 9th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai on November 13, 2012. (PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
KARACHI, Pakistan -- Pakistan is secretly racing to develop its own armed drones, frustrated with U.S. refusals to provide the aircraft, but is struggling in its initial tests with a lack of precision munitions and advanced targeting technology.
One of Islamabad's closest allies and Washington's biggest rivals, China, has offered to help by selling Pakistan armed drones it developed. But industry experts say there is still uncertainty about the capabilities of the Chinese aircraft.
The development of unmanned combat aircraft is especially sensitive in Pakistan because of the widespread unpopularity of the hundreds of U.S. drone strikes against Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the country's rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government denounces the CIA strikes as a violation of the country's sovereignty, though senior civilian and military leaders are known to have supported at least some of the attacks in the past. Pakistani officials also call the strikes unproductive, saying they kill many civilians and fuel anger that helps militants recruit additional fighters – allegations denied by the U.S.
Pakistan has demanded the U.S. provide it with armed drones, claiming it could more effectively carry out attacks against militants. Washington has refused because of the sensitive nature of the technology and doubts that Pakistan would reliably target U.S. enemies. The U.S. has held talks with Pakistan about providing unarmed surveillance drones, but Islamabad already has several types of these aircraft in operation, and the discussions have gone nowhere.
Inaugurating a defense exhibition in the southern city of Karachi last week, Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf indicated Islamabad would look for help from Beijing in response to U.S. intransigence.
"Pakistan can also benefit from China in defense collaboration, offsetting the undeclared technological apartheid," said Ashraf.
Pakistan has also been working to develop armed drones on its own, said Pakistani military officials and civilians involved in the domestic drone industry, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the classified nature of the work.
Pakistan first began weapons tests seven or eight months ago with the Falco, an Italian drone used by the Pakistani air force for surveillance that has been modified to carry rockets, said a civilian with knowledge of the secret program. The military is also conducting similar tests with the country's newest drone, the Shahpur, he said. An unarmed version of the Shahpur was unveiled for the first time at the Karachi exhibition.
The weapons tests have been limited to a handful of aircraft, and no strikes have been carried out in combat, said the civilian.
Pakistan lacks laser-guided missiles like the Hellfire used on U.S. Predator and Reaper drones and the advanced targeting system that goes with it, so the military has been using unguided rockets that are much less accurate.
While Hellfire missiles are said to have pinpoint accuracy, the rockets used by Pakistan have a margin of error of about 30 meters (100 feet) at best, and an unexpected gust of wind could take them 300 meters (1,000 feet) from their intended target, said the civilian. Even if Pakistan possessed Hellfires and the guidance system to use them, the missile's weight and drag would be a challenge for the small drones produced by the country.
Pakistan's largest drone, the Shahpur, has a wingspan of about seven meters (22 feet) and can carry 50 kilograms (110 pounds). The U.S. Predator, which can be equipped with two Hellfire missiles, has a wingspan more than twice that and a payload capacity over four times as great.
Pakistani drones also have much more limited range than those produced in the U.S. because they are operated based on "line of sight" using radio waves, rather than military satellites. The Shahpur has a maximum range of 250 kilometers (150 miles), while the Predator can fly over five times that distance.
The British newspaper The Guardian reported Tuesday that Pakistan was working on an armed drone but did not provide details.
The market for drones has exploded in Pakistan and other countries around the world in recent years, as shown by the array of aircraft on display at the defense exhibition in Karachi. Hoping to tap into a worldwide market worth billions of dollars a year, public and private companies wheeled out over a dozen drones that ranged in size from hand-held models meant to be carried in a backpack to larger aircraft like the Shahpur.
All the Pakistani drones on display were advertised as unarmed and meant for surveillance only. One private company, Integrated Dynamics, even promotes its aircraft under the slogan "Drones for Peace." But several models developed by the Chinese government were marketed as capable of carrying precision missiles and bombs.
The Chinese government has offered to sell Pakistan an armed drone it has produced, the CH-3, which can carry two laser-guided missiles or bombs, industry insiders said.
Also being offered to Pakistan is a more advanced drone, the CH-4, which closely resembles a U.S. Reaper and can carry four laser-guided missiles or bombs, according to Li Xiaoli, a representative of the Chinese state-owned company that produces both the CH-3 and CH-4, Aerospace Long-march International Trade Co., Ltd.
Pakistan has yet to purchase any armed Chinese drones because their capabilities have yet to be proven, but is likely to do so in the future, said the civilian with knowledge of the Pakistani military's drone program.
Only a few countries, including the U.S., Britain and Israel, are known to have actually used armed drones in military operations.
"China is a bit of a tough nut to crack as you'd expect," said Huw Williams, a drone expert at Jane's International Defense Review. "They frequently wheel out exciting looking aircraft but are yet to really demonstrate anything earth shattering."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/1 ... 51640.html
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:18 pm
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Take the power crisis as the major example. All thinking and commentary is focused on the large issues of fuel pricing and supply, of circular debt and line losses.
These are big problems, no doubt, and their resolution is critical to finding a way out of the situation. But they are not the only way forward, and the deeply intractable and interconnected nature of the challenges they present means most reform-minded comments tend to descend into a general lament at the hopelessness of it all.
What is lost in this excessive gloom is innovative solutions, small scale, that can be replicated in large numbers. Some of the most innovative thinking in the field involves what they call the ‘point of consumption’ generation. This means exactly what it says, that you generate the electricity exactly where it is meant to be consumed.
The thinking is not different from how computing has evolved over time. The earliest computers were mainframes, large boxes with massive amounts of computing power locked up in them, connected by wires to a multiple number of terminals from where users accessed this computing power separately.
In time mainframes were replaced by desktop computers, which contained all their computing power in one unit with a terminal. And eventually of course the desktop gave way to the laptop, which has now given way to the tablet.
Something similar is happening in the power sector around the world, but a lot more slowly.
The old model, to which we are all committed, is of a single large power generation house, linked by wires to many houses where the electricity is consumed. But the new model envisions many small power-generation points, located at the points of consumption, which can use the power supply from the grid to supplement its own capacity, or feed its surplus electricity back into the grid.
In urban areas, this is hard to imagine as of now. I don’t know many people who have successfully installed solar panels at home to bring down their purchases from the grid, nor do we have ‘two-way’ meters that can channel electricity back into the grid for us.
But in remote areas, a marvellous experiment has moved beyond the drawing board into reality, and is gathering momentum. Across Gilgit-Baltistan and Swat and Dir, for instance, micro hydel projects are being adopted with remarkable speed, and with remarkable results.
Large numbers of villages, that were until recently living without any prospect of electricity because the cost of bringing the grid to them was prohibitive for our cash-starved government are now enjoying free electricity throughout the summers thanks to a small turbine, and a manually cut channel to carry water falling from mountain streams.
The technology used in these micro hydel projects is all indigenously manufactured in Besham near Swat. I hear it was brought to Pakistan as part of an aid programme run by some European agency, but I’m not sure of its origins.
What I’m sure of is the speed with which it has been adopted across the mountain communities, from Dir and Swat to Gilgit-Baltistan. I’ve seen tiny villages propped up high on rocky mountainsides lit up with light bulbs at night using this technology, which the villagers have purchased by pooling their money. And I’ve seen this across Gilgit-Baltistan.
Very similar thinking can be applied down country. In the plains of Punjab, for instance, mountain streams may not exist, but the water flows in the canals can be used to generate electricity during the summers using similar turbines, adapted for use with slow-moving, high volumes of water.
Small turbines installed in containers can be lowered into the canals during the summer time, with a single wire running to the nearest grid station, and the electricity produced can be shared by a single community.
Thousands of such small-scale projects can light up large areas of rural Punjab through the difficult summer months, perhaps enough to keep small-scale industry going and prevent livelihoods from shutting down.
This is not rocket science. It is already being done on a large and rapidly growing scale across the mountain regions of the north, and adapting the same technology for use in the plains of Punjab requires only a small push from the provincial government.
There are many ‘point of consumption’ solutions around the world which harness the local geography of the area being serviced to develop innovative power generation systems on a small scale.
Solar applications and wind applications are very expensive if we think of them in terms of the old ‘mainframe’ model of large-scale power generation houses feeding a national grid.
But if we think of them in terms of ‘point of consumption’ generation they become a lot more feasible, especially for communities that don’t need much more electricity than what it takes to run a few bulbs and a couple of fans.
None of this is to imply that work on the large-scale problems of the power sector should stop. It is simply to suggest that it would be a good idea if that work were to be supplemented by efforts to innovate and develop more ‘point of consumption’ generation ideas as well.
As these innovative solutions spread, then technology can be developed which helps share the electricity thus generated from those areas that are surplus to those that are deficit, with appropriate markets for pricing and settlements for shared electricity.
Of course, there are obstacles and challenges in implementing such thinking, but no path out of the power crisis is without obstacles and challenges. In this case, the success of the cottage industry based out of Besham is the model that needs to be studied carefully and replicated in other areas.
http://dawn.com/2012/11/15/innovative-power-solutions/
Statistics: Posted by aftab — Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:18 pm
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October 20, 2012
LONDON: A small British company has developed a way to create petrol from air and water, technology it hopes may one day contribute to large-scale production of green fuels.
Engineers at Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS.L) in Teeside, northern England, say they have produced 5 litres of synthetic petrol over a period of three months.
The technique involves extracting carbon dioxide from air and hydrogen from water, and combining them in a reactor with a catalyst to make methanol. The methanol is then converted into petrol.
By using renewable energy to power the process, it is possible to create carbon-neutral fuel that can be used in an identical way to standard petrol, scientists behind the technology say.
"It's actually cleaner because it's synthetic," Peter Harrison, chief executive officer of AFS, said in an interview.
"You just make what you need to make in terms of the contents of it, so it doesn't contain what might be seen as pollutants, like sulphur," he said.
The work is part of a two-year project that has so far cost around 1 million pounds.
The green petrol will not appear on forecourts any time soon, though.
"We can't make (the petrol) at pump prices, but we will do eventually," Harrison said. "All we need is renewable energy to make it, and so when oil becomes a problem we will be able to make a contribution to keep cars moving or to keep aeroplanes moving."
AFS said it was confident the technology could be scaled up to refinery size in the future. Each of the processes that go into making the fuel already take place separately on an industrial scale.
For now, however, AFS plans to build a commercial plant in the next two years that will produce around 1,200 litres a day of specialist fuels for the motorsports sector, Harrison said.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-72219 ... -and-water
Statistics: Posted by Mirza Ghalib — Sat Oct 20, 2012 10:03 am
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Also I found another similar article about past and future.
http://www.robertlanza.com/does-the-pas ... -in-stone/
EDIT:
Found the link
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/basic ... choice.htm
Statistics: Posted by LifeH2O — Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:57 am
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An artistic impression of Paksat 1R satellite. 3D model by Mohammad Amir Patni
KARACHI, Sept 25: Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) is in the process of acquiring the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in collaboration with China, which will give a boost to its satellite communication technology.
This was announced at the first symposium and exhibition on `Global navigation satellite system and its applications` held at a hotel on Tuesday. The two-day event has been jointly organised by Suparco and China Satellite Navigation Office.
Discussing the importance of the navigation system, Suparco chairman retired major general Ahmed Bilal said that the symposium and exhibition was the first milestone for a regularised development of this technology in Pakistan.
He said that the technology, which was emerging in Pakistan with great success and at a very fast pace, had tremendous applications in the field of surveying and mapping, construction and deformation monitoring, transport and aviation management, mining and agriculture among others.
`Pakistan is rich in mineral resources and an efficient system of surveying is the demand of our industry,` he said, adding that computerisation of land parcel had also been undertaken by the government, while the Civil Aviation Authority was planning to deploy space-based and ground-based infrastructure in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recom-mendations and assuring the transition to GNSS.
Mr Bilal thanked China for its continuous assistance to Pakistan that he described as `timely, reliable and selfless` and based on equality and respect for Pakistan`s national sovereignty. He expressed gratitude to the Chinese for choosing Pakistan for the first-ever BeiDou (technology) application and demonstration outside China.
`For Pakistan, China is not just the best of ourfiends;it is also an inspiration for economic development based upon scientific principles, he said.
Mr Bilal congratulated China also on achieving the longest-ever manned space mission and reaching the deepest-ever ocean depth by any manned research vehicle in the world.
Reciprocating the sentiments, consul general of China, Karachi, Zhang Jiaxin and China Satellite Navigation Office Director Ram Chengqi congratulated Suparco on its latest endeavour, and said that the symposium was the first step towards a joint collaboration between Pakistan and China in the field of GNSS.
`This would undoubtedly add a new chapter to our bilateral scientific and technological cooperation and will surely diversify the meaning of Pak-China relationship and cooperation, said Mr Zhang. The consul general assured Pakistan of his support in the field and vowed to propel the strategic partnership into a new phase.
Zahid Jamal of Suparco gave an audio visual presentation on the GNSS technology and its application across the world, particularly in Pakistan.
Highlighting economic importance of the technology, he said that currently the GNSS market was worth over $150 billion, and was expected to increase to $35 billion by 2015. He then explained in detail the applications of the GNSS in regions like digital map production for road vehicle navigation, public safety and disaster management, mapping and resource positioning, mining and quarrying among others.
Explaining how Pakistan can benefit from the GNSS, Faisal Ahmed Khan of Suparco said that given that the country had no existing infrastructure in this field, this was the time to capitalise on the technology. He added that this had provided Pakistan with both economic and strategic opportunities.
Mr Khan then declared that Suparco was now calling for technology companies, academic and research institutions and investors and venture capitalists to help boost this venture.
The symposium also included technical reports on GNSS` role in monitoring and management of vehicles and ships, precision positioning and GIS, presented by both Chinese and Pakistani speakers.
The audience was shown a visual introduction to BeiDou and its application in various fields.
The exhibition will be open to public on Wednesday as well.
http://dawn.com/2012/09/26/suparco-set- ... -system-2/
Statistics: Posted by Patriot — Thu Sep 27, 2012 10:30 am
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Kamila Hyat
Thursday, August 09, 2012
The writer is a freelance columnist
and former newspaper editor
Children believe in fairy tales, in the miracles contained in storybooks and in a world of make-belief where anything is possible.
As we grow up, this realm of fantasy is usually left behind – along with the teddy bears, the dolls in frilly frocks or the toy cars of infancy.
However, in our country it seems, some people at least never grow up. Perhaps because the reality around us is so dismal, the future so bleak, that they prefer to latch onto whatever tall tales they hear-abandoning all logic and basic common sense in doing so.
What is terrifying is that ministers, leading scientists, etc., too appear to be willing to shift into such a realm-by doing so, perhaps, acknowledging they have no actual plans, no skills, no abilities to solve the immense problems our nation faces. This willingness to believe in fraudulent miracles only detracts us from finding real solutions.
The latest example we have of this is the extraordinary “water kit” which a middle-aged mechanical engineer from Khairpur in Sindh claims can be used to convert water into fuel which would be able to run cars and motorbikes and other vehicles.
It should be noted that similar claims of “water-driven” cars have been made before – most recently in Japan in 2008. Like others before it, the claim proved fraudulent. The “kit” from Khairpur – if it worked-would revolutionize our energy-starved country.
The engineer, Agha Waqar Ahmed – who is being promoted by a scientifically illiterate media, including top talk-show hosts, still more ignorant ministers and, astonishingly, ill-informed scientists – says he can split the oxygen and hydrogen molecules in water and then use hydrogen to create energy.
An elaborate display was put on of this “invention” at the Sports Complex in Islamabad, where Ahmed connected a water hose to a car and said it was being powered by this medium.
Minister for religious affairs Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, who has been promoting the engineer coming from the same part of Sindh as himself, gleefully drove the vehicle on the occasion.
Meanwhile, a host of other senior officials, including Federal Minister for Science and Technology Mir Changez Khan Jamali, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi and advisor to the prime minister on petroleum Dr Asim Husssain, looked on.
Since then, Engineer Ahmed is being hailed as a national hero: “patriotism,” in the warped sense that we know it, has overtaken all sense.
The “inventor” demanding support for his project has had long meetings with top officials. The president has hailed his work, experiments are to be conducted at the National University of Science and Technology and the prime minister has set up a committee comprising Khursheed Shah, Mir Changez Jamali and Dr Asim Husssain to facilitate matters.
What is still more shocking is how, driven on by TV show hosts, scientists seem to have reached a state of ecstasy over the “discovery”: “top patriot” Dr A Q Khan and Dr Samar Mubarak Mand have backed the claim.
The situation is reminiscent of the time when scientists during the Zia era suggested harvesting energy from “jinns.” Politics, and now the rapidly swirling media merry-go-round, send rational thinking spinning far away.
This failure by men who should know better and speak the truth can only push us further back towards ignorance and a belief in fantasy.
Certainly, the good engineer from Khairpur-who has most recently delayed his collaboration with NUST, for reasons he declines to explain-deserves credit for exposing how little we know, and how little we are willing to face.
Under Confucius’ model we would fall into the undesirable category of those who “know not,” and “know not that they know not.”
This leaves open no room to learn, to think or to utilize mental capacities granted to most humans.
It is true that some men of greater integrity, more scientific knowledge and true logic have spoken out. Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, the former chairmen of the Higher Education Commission, has stated on television that the whole “water kit” business is a scientific fraud.
He has faced being shouted down by compeers, but bravely refused to give in. Eminent physicist Dr Pervaiz Hoodbhoy has still more strongly stated that the whole thesis around which Engineer Ahmed’s theory is built defies the most basic rules of physics and is scientifically impossible.
He has said that if the possibility of using water to create energy could be proved, it would amount to one of the biggest breakthroughs in science seen during our lifetimes.
So, should Engineer Agha Waqar Ahmed be preparing for a Nobel Prize? Or should we be prepared to be disappointed once more?
This is often what happens when children discover their favorite fantasies, such as those involving tooth fairies or Father Christmas, are simply not true.
So far we have refused to move into the world of reality. The warnings from Dr Atta-ur-Rehman and Dr Hoodbhoy have largely been sidelined. We need to consider why this is so.
Even school-level physics students should be able to question the rationale behind the curious water theory. Yet here we have ministers, top scientists, leading media anchors and others hailing the Khairpur engineer as a hero.
It seems there is so little in our lives that hold out real promise that we cling onto straws. This is a particularly feeble straw.
What we need to focus on is finding genuine solutions to our problems, discouraging fraud and building a media capable of playing a more balanced role in such matters. We have at the moment something of a farce.
The news regarding water and energy has been taken up by the international press and largely ridiculed. This does nothing to bring credit to us as a nation or show us to be intelligent people capable of seeing through publicity stunts, stunts apparently staged to fool people and perhaps gain in monetary terms.
There is much we can work on. This includes the potential of solar energy, and much more. It is in such endeavors that the government should be placing its effort and its money rather than going along with a notion that simply is too good to be true-and therefore almost certain to be entirely false.
Building false hopes and then dashing them is not a wise thing to do. It only creates greater despondency in an already depressed nation.
Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9 ... -fairyland
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:47 pm
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Statistics: Posted by teriwal — Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:37 pm
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"The news is strange. He should have been hiding for that instead of coming on media."
Well the answer is simple;
"Greed, the root of all curse" AND stupidity.
Well I stand vindicated and I not have to carry out my promise; "I will put my money on the fact that Mr Waqar is taking us for a ride but I will be happy to eat humble pie (and my shorts too) if I am proved wrong."
He was taking us for a ride after all eh! (yes, pun is intended)
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:58 pm
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A famous one was this captured in Pakistan
It was made a long time ago by a company Festo. You can see their other work and other videos on this smart bird.
Another kind of drone just flys over an area and makes a full 3 dimensional capture of the structure/building etc it wants to capture.
I learned from fest smart bird that all new technologies will be tried in war zones openly, either a realistic robot bird or a bipedal robot.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BostonDynam ... CAwQwRs%3D
Statistics: Posted by LifeH2O — Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:28 pm
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Afzal Nadeem Dogar
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
KARACHI: Agha Waqar Ahmad Pathan, the controversial claimant of running the car with water as fuel, had been arrested in cases of bank robbery and for possessing illegal arms in Karachi.
Perhaps he had been drawing salary for years as an employee of Sindh Police without performing his duties while attempting to run the car with water.
According to Criminal Record Office (CRO) of Karachi Police, Agha Waqar Ahmad Pathan S/o Agha Wahid Bux has been registered as Criminal No 7724. He was caught red-handed while committing an alleged robbery on August 25, 2010 in the limits of New Town Police Station along with Hafeez Ahmad S/o Muhammad Ramzan. According to police, arms were also recovered from the possession of the two accused.
An FIR was also registered against both under the Robbery Act 392/34 at the New Town Police Station. A case under section 396/10 was also registered against him for keeping illegal arms while under same act FIR No 397/10 was registered against his accomplice Hafeez Ahmad. Both the accused were arrested in the same case.
Details of the cases against the accused are appended in the CRO.Agha Waqar, the resident of Dabar locality in the limits of A Section Police Station of Khairpur had mentioned his profession as “Private” in the police investigation. However during investigation, it was revealed that the accused was a stenographer in the Sukkur Range Police.
Later, on July 3, 2008, he got himself transferred to Karachi Range and joined duties on July 15, 2008 as stenographer. However, most of the time, he remained absent from his duties. Later, he was transferred to the Investigation Wing.
On May 9, 2009, using his contacts Agha Waqar got himself transferred to Anti-Car Lifting Cell and got posted at the Chief Minister House on deputation. However, his salary was stopped as he did not furnish joining report which is still being awaited.
On the contrary, he was transferred as PA to IG Establishment Sindh on Feb 12, 2011. It is interesting that no police officer is aware of his being in the department. When contacted, AIG Dr Amin Yousufzai expressed his surprise that Agha Waqar Ahmad Pathan was an employee of the police department. He was also not aware that Agha Waqar was his PA.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1 ... Agha-Waqar
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:20 am
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A CIA drone strike in North Waziristan killed al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader on Monday. Pakistan again complained that drone strikes are “unlawful, against international law and a violation of [its] sovereignty,” but while the country has threatened to shoot down unmanned vehicles in the past, it has never followed through. How hard is it to kill a drone?
It depends on the model. Shooting down an MQ-1 Predator or an MQ-9 Reaper, the propeller-driven drones most commonly used to kill terrorists in Pakistan, would be child’s play for a Pakistani Air Force pilot. They’re easy to detect on radar, and they fly at about 100 mph—about the speed of a World War I-era bomber. (The Dassault Mirage 5, one of the most common jets in Pakistan’s military fleet, cruises at just under 600 mph and tops out at nearly 1,500 mph.) They don't normally carry any weapons that could be used in a dogfight, and their lack of maneuverability makes them vulnerable to missiles fired from the ground.
While the Predator and the Reaper are easy targets, the military has other, more sophisticated drones. The RQ-170 Sentinel, for example, is much more difficult to detect on radar, and its jet engines enable it to fly at just below the speed of sound. In the months before Osama Bin Laden’s killing, Sentinels flew between the seams of Pakistan’s radar systems to spy on his Abbottabad compound. But if the Pakistanis did spot a Sentinel, it wouldn't be impossible to destroy. Military experts still argue over whether the Sentinel that went down in Iran last year was shot or simply malfunctioned.
At least two countries have brought down U.S. drones in the past. Serbian air defense destroyed 15 of them during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. (There were even rumors that the Serbians managed to hit one with a machine gun fired from an open helicopter door.) In 2002, a Predator drone equipped with air-to-air Stinger missiles took on an Iraqi MiG in the no-fly zone. The drone was easily dispatched.
Pakistan’s reluctance to make good on its threat to shoot down a U.S. drone has nothing to do with capability—it’s just part of the complex relationship between the two countries. While Pakistan’s civilian leaders bristle at U.S. military operations inside the country, the Pakistani military sometimes finds drone attacks useful. Many intelligence analysts, for example, believe that the Pakistanis were far more interested than U.S. officials in the 2009 killing of Baitullah Mehsud, a terrorist leader who was likely involved in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The CIA may have used its drones to hunt down Mehsud in part as a favor.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_ ... down_.html
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:22 pm
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First wind as a lot of people- appear to be more in favour of Wind in Pakistan. I will try to point out that in the US.....Minnesota has the most wind turbines in place. They do generate electricity.....BUT and that is a big BUT.....and that is that Wind Turbines are NOT cost effective.
First they require great amount of money for initial outlay-( over 1 1/2 Million US dollars) but the KICKER is the issue of maintainenece which is very substantial.......yes very substantial. And if you take the initial money spent plus maintainence costs.........they are very expensive. They are only being put up because the State( province)- provides substantial subsidy not only for starting them but for maintaning them too. And of course certain capitalistic profiteers who have supported the proper politicians to put these things in place so that certain people can become very rich at the State's expense.
One of the problems that was not thought ahead of time is the sheer size.....in a triple Blade turbine.....in Minnesota each Blade is 150 foot long.......when you take up the PHYSICS of things in motion and that involved in building the tower, then install the blades the sheer mechanical problems are immense and costly.
So anyone who thinks Wind Turbine Farms for Pakistan must have the Zardari mindset where one would go for that so that Zardari or Nawaz Shareef can make a whole lot of kick backs.
What about Solar?
Well, the technology is there for anyone and everyone.........initial out lay might be expensive but since Solar panels do not have moving parts........once installed........maintainence is little. Yes there is problem of storage of electricity but that can be dealt with simply piping it into the present grid........and encouraging the local people to start using it.
All these things are not going to be THE solution but they will help and help greatly.
It again boils down to if we really are serious and want to do the right thing. Just look at across the border in Rajhastan , India where the common village people who do not even have shoes have been and are being taught to build the solar panels to electrify their villages.
More Black Bile later..........
Statistics: Posted by Shimatoree — Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:04 am
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[newtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdO6T1TIDzQ[/newtube]
http://www.africaportal.org/articles/20 ... ara-desert
http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn1 ... ng-the-sun
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... power.html
Statistics: Posted by Holly Flame — Wed Aug 29, 2012 5:15 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Holly Flame — Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:55 pm
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Energy and water security will be the two vital concerns for any nation in the near future. You can already see that to a large extent in Pakistan and in other developing countries. The next French Revolution on a global scale will be when the 'proletariat' will stop tolerating the disproportionate consumption of these two utilities by those who think of it as a function of wealth and birthright. The days of taking water and energy for granted are truly over, especially for countries that are too busy wasting their time on short term goals.
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:18 pm
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The points you raise about solar energy are all valid. You are right, the technology is expensive and there are inherent difficulties in storing it. The trick is to use solar energy in tandem with other forms of power generation as is the case in many places. The expectation that we can have continuous and reliable source of energy without a back up is not tenable. In case of Pakistan, we can rely on the sun shining brightly on us a lot more than timely rains to fill our dams. Future technologies are never cheap, they only become so when they become popular.
I see the future of wind power as bright too except that they are a lot more mechanical therefore more prone to wear and tear as compared with Solar. Bio-fuels is so last year and we have to be really careful not to put many of our eggs in that basket.
Without investment, we cannot hope to even produce a nut and bolt. Training the right kind of engineering graduates may be the first step in the right direction.
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:10 pm
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I will wait for a response that coincides with history ( a history not written by the most well known distortionists of history...the limies...and I mean they are nothing else but the british.)
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:59 pm
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What did Tesla do to deserve a museum?
Overall, his most practical achievement would be the polyphase electrical system. It brought alternating current to the world, and allowed us to have electricity in our homes. Beyond that, all kinds of stuff ranging from wireless communication to neon lighting.
He actually built an earthquake machine in his laboratory in New York City, and when he turned it on they had to smash it with a sledgehammer to keep it from taking the whole block down. Not a useful invention, but kind of cool.
How did you get involved in the campaign to buy Tesla's lab at Wardenclyffe, New York, which might be demolished?
People were tweeting at me saying "have you seen this Save the Wardenclyffe project?" When I learned they had a matching grant from New York State for $850k, I realised the amount of money they needed wasn't completely out of reach. Coincidently, I was threatened with a lawsuit back in July over something rather silly, and rather than paying the lawyer who threatened me, I raised money for charity using [crowdfunding platform] Indiegogo. I figured, I made a comic about Tesla, I've got a huge following of Tesla fans on my Twitter and I've also had this successful fundraiser, so let's see if we can raise the money.
You've already hit your target. Did you expect this level of success?
I figured we could give it a shot, and if it fails, at least we tried. I didn't expect to hit the goal in six days. That was pretty awesome. Sitting on the Indiegogo page, you get addicted. Every time you hit refresh there is another 10 grand. You watch what you make in a year go by in about 20 minutes.
You have had supporters from around the world, including Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors. How is he helping?
He pledged money and gave verbal support, saying the land needed to be saved, so that was really cool. He said Tesla is a hero of his.
What would you like to see in the museum?
I would love some big frightening display of coils, because Tesla was quite a showman and when he gave public displays he would have these huge arcs of electricity between the coils that, even though they were safe according to him, made people really uncomfortable. I would love to mimic that feeling in the museum.
What would Tesla make of all this support if he were alive today?
He'd probably be happy. At the beginning of his career he was very naive about money. He wasn't interested in making any, he was more interested in discovering things. He just figured if he could change the world then money would follow, but in the latter half of his career he became very focused on money because his work was very expensive. Nobody was supporting him because he wasn't producing light bulbs or toaster ovens, he was producing things like sonar, which wasn't really useful at the time. I think Tesla would be very pleased seeing the internet give him huge piles of money just to show how awesome he is.
But actually, he died penniless and alone?
Yes, he's kind of an odd guy. He remained celibate even though he was a pretty good-looking dude – well dressed, but he basically stayed alone his whole life.
After Thomas Edison screwed him out of a lot of money, he had an arrangement with [electric company] Westinghouse where they would pay him a royalty. But when they were in financial trouble, Tesla tore up the contract and said "you know what, I like you guys, you can just forget that royalty thing". He could have been one of the richest men in the world if he hadn't been such a nice guy.
To contribute to the Tesla museum project visit indiegogo.com/teslamuseum.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... nline-news
Statistics: Posted by Holly Flame — Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:55 pm
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Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have more than doubled the amount of uranium that can be extracted from seawater using Japanese technology developed in the late 1990s.
The world's oceans contain around 4.5 billion tons of uranium, enough fuel to power every nuclear plant on the planet for 6,500 years. The results were presented on 21 August at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia.
"Our original goal was to double what the Japanese have achieved with absorption capacity," says PNNL chemical oceanographer Gary Gill. "We have surpassed that."
The technology Japanese researchers pioneered uses long mats of braided plastic fibres, embedded with uranium-absorbent amidoxime, to capture trace amounts of uranium in the ocean. The mats are placed 200 metres underwater to soak up uranium before being brought to the surface. They are then washed in an acidic solution that captures the radioactive metal for future refinement.
Cheaper method
To make this process more economical, ORNL chemical scientist Sheng Dai says US researchers used plastic fibres with 10 times more surface area than the Japanese design, allowing for a greater degree of absorption on a similar platform.
They tested their new design at the PNNL's marine testing facility in Washington State. The results show the new design cuts the production costs of a kilogram of uranium extracted from seawater from $1232 to $660.
While extracting uranium from seawater is still five times more expensive than mining uranium from the Earth, the research shows that seawater uranium harvesting could be a much-needed economic backstop for the nuclear industry moving forward into the 21st century.
"A sharp spike in uranium prices in 2007 had many people scared in terms of the sustainability of the nuclear industry," Dai says. "That was what spurred the [Department of Energy] to revisit developing the technology."
Gill says researchers think they are maybe three years away from having prototype systems to test.
"This is very challenging technology to develop," he says. "But it holds a lot of promise for the US in the future."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... water.html
Statistics: Posted by Holly Flame — Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:51 pm
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Statistics: Posted by Holly Flame — Sun Aug 26, 2012 3:59 pm
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As H2O has pointed out, there are countries that are seriously investing in solar energy and the technology is getting better and cheaper all the time. I am sure China can help Pakistan in this respect if there was some degree of seriousness. The general rule is that the more people use a certain type of technology the cheaper it gets. Demand will bring about innovation along with price reduction.
Americans have been investing in solar energy for many years now and Britain with its laughable amount of sunshine is encouraging domestic users to install solar panels on their roof tops and you can see more and more of these around England.
Like all things in Pakistan, the incompetence of those at the helm coupled with political interference in technical initiatives keeps us back as a nation from pursing new directions and initiatives. If Pakistan is interested in tackling our energy crises, we need to embrace the obvious; solar energy is the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s not be last in this race too.
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Sun Aug 05, 2012 1:37 am
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http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... nline-news
Transparent solar cells could come cheap
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepe ... nline-news
Statistics: Posted by LifeH2O — Sat Aug 04, 2012 11:51 pm
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What worries me the most is a stark contrast between the two;
1. In an internal combustion engine pressurized fuel vapour and air explodes resulting in a large volume of exhaust gases that cranks engine shaft into a powerful angular displacement measured in horse power.
2. In the same, compressed hydrogen and oxygen is ignited resulting into a sort of implosion (because of less volum of water produced creating a sort of vacuum). The question is, which way engine shaft will turn or will it turn at all?
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Sat Aug 04, 2012 9:35 pm
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Fauna
The mountainous areas embracing the Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindu Kush Ranges are rich in fauna and flora, as compared to other parts of the country. These areas provide an excellent habitat for wildlife in the form of alpine grazing lands, sub-alpine scrub and temperate forests. These habitats support a variety of wild animals. The areas are difficult for human beings to access; hence, most wildlife is present in reasonable numbers though some are endangered for other reasons.
Some of the main wildlife species are the tiger, sloth bear (nearly extinct), snow leopard (National Predator of Pakistan), the Peregrine Falcon or "Duck Hawk", (Falco peregrines), (State military bird) the black bear and the brown bears, otter, wolf, lynx, Himalayan ibex, Markhor (National animal), Bharal, Marco Polo's sheep, Shapu, Musk deer, Marmots, Tragopan and Monal pheasants. The snow partridge and Snowcock reside at higher elevations. The Rhesus monkey, common Langur, Red fox, Black bear, Common leopard, a variety of Cats, Musk deer (over a limited area), Goral, several species of Flying Squirrels, Chukar (National bird), Partridge and Pheasants (Koklass, Kaleej and Cheer) live in the lower elevations. Amongst these the snow leopard, musk deer, Marco Polo's sheep, and the brown bear are endangered. The Tibetan wild ass and the blue sheep populations have been reduced drastically.
The cheer pheasant is reported to be extinct from within Pakistan's boundaries, and is included in the IUCN Red Data Book. The western horned Tragopan was reported to have disappeared from within Pakistani territory, but has now been relocated to Indus Kohistan, although its numbers are low. The Himalayan foothills and the Potohar region, including the Salt Range and Kala Chitta Range, are covered with scrub forests, which have been reduced to scanty growth in most places. Medium-sized animals like the Punjab Urial, Barking deer, Goral, Chinkara, Partridges (grey and black), Seesee and Chakor are supported in these habitats. A variety of songbird fauna also occurs in these areas. Sand lizards, monitors, geckos, agamas, diamond snakes, sand snakes, vipers, cobras, kraits and the famous Indian python constitute the other reptilian fauna. About eight species of freshwater turtles are found in Pakistan.
Diversity of Wildlife in Pakistan.
Pakistan's coastline of 1,050 km consists of a variety of habitat types, supporting a wide range of animals, of which over 1000 are fish species. Pakistan's marine flora and fauna have not been studied properly. Hence, detailed information on these species is deficient. Along the shores, there are four species of marine turtles: the Ridley, Green, Leather back and Hawksbill turtle, which are of high economic importance. Due to loss of habitat and human disturbances, their population is also decreasing.
Large bodies of water in the country support a variety of waterfowl. The extent of wetlands is constantly being changed. On one hand, swamps and marshes are being drained to reclaim land, whereas on the other hand, new dams (large water bodies) have been created for irrigation purposes. Canal irrigation through seepage has also contributed towards increasing the land area under water in the form of water logging. Such areas support a great number of waterfowl by providing them with an excellent habitat. The wetlands are one of the most important wintering areas and "green routes" of Asia. The important waterfowl in Pakistan are the Ducks (Mallard, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Gargeny, Ruddy Shelduck, Teals Tufted and Gadwall), Geese (grey lag, bar-headed), Coots, Flamingoes, Pelicans, Spoon bills, Storks, Ibises, Plovers, Curlews, Pipers, Snipes, and Herons. The marbled teal and white-headed duck have decreased in number and now visit the wetlands infrequently. Among the resident waterfowl are Gallinules, Moorhens and Rails, Gulls, Terns, Water cock, Grebes, Cormorants, Egrets, Bitterns, and Jakanas. The spot-billed lesser whistling teal and the cotton teal are resident ducks. A rich wader fauna visits the coastline during the winter.
Vast Indus flood plains have been cleared of natural vegetation to grow crops. Very little wildlife habitat has been left untouched. Only animals like the jackal, mongoose, jungle cat, civet cat, scaly anteater, desert cat and the wild hare occur in these areas. Hog deer is found in riverine tracts. The crop residues and wild growth support reasonable populations of black and grey partridges. The coastline is still covered in dense tropical rainforest; plants mainly include mangroves (90%) and bamboo or other (10%).
Little vegetative cover, severity of climatic conditions and the great thrust of grazing animals on the deserts have left wild animals in a precarious position. Parts of Thall and Cholistan are now being irrigated, with the situation almost identical to that of the flood plains. Chinkara is the only animal, which can still be found in average numbers in Cholistan, but rarely in Thall. The blackbuck, once plentiful in Cholistan has now been eliminated. However, efforts are being made to reintroduce them back into the country. A small number of blue bulls are found along the Pak-Indian border, and some parts of Cholistan. Grey partridge, species of sand grouse and the Indian courser are the main birds of the area. Peafowl occur in some areas in Cholistan.
The Thar Desert supports a fair population of the Chinkara gazelle. Peacocks are only found in the wild, mainly because of the protection they enjoy in Hindu communities. The wild ass migrates from the Indian part of the Rann of Kutch to the Pakistani part in search of food.
The Houbara bustard is a regular winter visitor to the desert. Visiting diplomats have hunted and reduced their numbers. The great Indian bustard is occasionally sighted. The imperial Sandgrouse is another migrant visiting these areas. Grey partridges are frequently sighted. The python is also threatened with extinction.
The Sulaiman and Kirthar Ranges present habitats manifesting unique characteristics. The former supports the straight-horned Markhor, Chinkara and Urial, whereas Sindh ibex, Urial, Chinkara and common leopard occupy the latter. The straight-horned Markhor, which is almost extinct from within settled boundaries of Pakistan, occurs in somewhat fair numbers in the Tribal Areas. The Chakor, Seesee and grey partridge are birds commonly found in the tracts.
The reed beds and tamarisk bushes along the rivers support hog deer and black partridge populations. However, due to occasional heavy floods their numbers have also been reduced. The Indus Dolphin (National marine Mammal of Pakistan), fishing cat, and smooth otter are found in the Indus River waters below the Chashma Barrage. The gavial has become extinct in Pakistan. The Indus Crocodile (National Reptile of Pakistan) is found in small numbers in lower Sindh. Wild boar numbers have increased because of the immunity they enjoy in a Muslim society that forbids its consumption by humans.
The animals found in the south-western mountains of Baluchistan are: Sindh ibex, Chilton Markhor, straight horned Markhor, wild sheep, leopard, marbled pole cat, Bland ford’s fox, Chinkara, Goitered gazelle and the marsh crocodile. Some cheetahs may still survive and like the Makran (Baluchistan) bear, they are critically endangered. The Houbara bustard (migratory), Sandgrouse, black and grey partridges, and the Chakor and see partridges are also found here.
Irrigated forest plantations have emerged as the prevailing land use practice for the last 100 years. These ideally provide excellent habitat for Chinkara, hog deer and blue bull. Forest management does not cater to the needs of these wild animals. This, coupled with the poor implementation of laws has resulted in the extinction of species in the irrigated plantations. Due to habitat disturbances, the ungulates have failed to establish themselves, whereas the partridges have flourished well.
The striped hyena and the wolf are widely distributed in the sparsely populated parts of the country. However, information about them is scanty. Information about carnivores in general is difficult to obtain because of their nocturnal mode of life and high mobility. Little is known of the black bear and brown bear populations.
Birds of prey like the Peregrine, Cherrug or Saqer falcons, Tawny eagle, Imperial and Greater Spotted eagles, Osprey, Shikra, and the Black-winged Kite occur throughout Pakistan but their population statuses are unknown.
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/culture-lite ... istan.html
Statistics: Posted by semirza — Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:58 pm
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I appreciate that the initial installation of solar energy equipment is not cheap but once installed there are no overheads and the equipment can work without any fuss for many many years. With all the money being squandered left, right and centre, why can't we subsidise solar equipment for commerical and domestic use?
Why have successive Pakistani governments ignored solar energy?
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Thu Aug 02, 2012 1:17 am
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We need to give up our national obsession with miracles and black magic. Unless we make the right choices and work like hell, we are not about to live an easy life powered by Hydrogen.
Statistics: Posted by stingingnettle — Thu Aug 02, 2012 12:54 am
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