Seminar on World Environment Day

The Social & Environment Management Unit of PIDA organized a seminar on World Environment Day to create awareness among the irrigation engineers, project managers and other concerned professionals.

The Additional Secretary (Admin) Irrigation Department presided the seminar while Chief Engineer Irrigation Lahore Zone, Syed Mehmood ul Hassan Shah and General Manager (TM) Syed Faiz Muhauldin participated as guests of honor.  Likewise, a large number of irrigation engineers, officers, and PIDA staff attended the seminar on invitation of Director SEMU Najmus Saqib Rehmani.

Director SEMU, Najmus Saqib Rehmani addressing in the seminar

 After the recitation from the Holy Quran, the Director SEMU welcomed all the participants and apprised them about the importance of environment and the reasons of its global celebration. He informed the participants about the water pollution in river Ravi and its effects on agriculture production. He told that SEMU has done a detailed research to measure the contamination level in the water of river Ravi. Meanwhile, he also presented a thought provoking documentary to the audience.

 While addressing in the seminar, the Additional Secretary (Administration) Irrigation Department, Sara Aslam told that Irrigation Department was taking into consideration the entire available legal framework to improve the water quality in water channels. She urged the irrigation engineers to take necessary steps in time so that farmers could get the pollution free irrigation water. She appreciated the staff of SEMU for conducting the seminar on environment day.

The environmental experts were especially invited to address in the seminar. Professor Ateeq ul Rahman from Environmental Sciences Department, Lahore College for Women University dwelled upon the adverse effects of arsenic on human health. He told that the presence of arsenic in drinking water is causing cancer as well as many other diseases. He further identified many arsenic effected areas of Punjab in which ground water has become dangerous for human health.

Participants of the seminar on World Environment Day

The Environmental Scientist, Dr. Ashraf Bodla advised the participants to make efforts for the sustainability of environmental betterment. He said that green economy means to play our individual roles to maintain the eco system on earth by adopting austerity measures in the utilization of natural resources. He said that scientific and industrial revolution has helped a lot human being by providing luxuries of life but unfortunately, there have not been done sufficient arrangements for the disposal of industrial waste which ultimately causes environmental pollution.  

The Chief Engineer Irrigation Lahore Zone, Syed Mehmood Ul Hassan Shah informed that all the projects, designed for the betterment of irrigation supplies are approved only when they are provided NOC from SEMU. The objective is to make the irrigation projects environmental friendly. He also thanked all the participants for attending the seminar.