Petroleum Division has identified as many as 40 new blocks in different parts of the country to step up oil and gas exploration activities. The step is aimed at making discoveries as the existing reservoirs are fast-depleting and since long there is no major discovery, says a report
The new blocks would be awarded through international bidding, for which necessary work was in process.
In September 2018, a bidding round of 10 onshore exploration blocks was conducted, which was held after a gap of almost five years, wherein eight blocks were awarded.
“Next bidding round is being planned shortly whereby 20 Onshore Blocks would be offered and efforts are being made to attract foreign companies,” officials say.
The country’s total sedimentary area was around 827,268 square kilometers, out of which 320, 741 KM (39 percent of the area) is under exploration.
Pakistan fears to deplete its deposits by 60 percent by the year 2027, forcing it to accelerate exploration activities in potential areas on war-footing.
Total consumption of petroleum products in the country stood at 19.68 Million Tonnes (MTs) during the fiscal year 2019-20, out of which 11.59 MTs were achieved through local refineries and 8.09 MT through import.
While there was a gap of over 2 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD) gas between production and demand of the commodity to meet requirements of more than 9.6 million consumers across the country, Current gas production is around 4 BCFD against the demand of 6 BCFD, the gap is being bridged through the import of LNG and LPG.
The Petroleum Division, a report says has granted open access to the private sector in the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) besides allowing them to set up their own terminals.
The government has planned to introduce Euro-V fuel in the country to meet the requirements of the hi-tech vehicles and tackle environmental issues like pollution and smog factors.
Officials say general sales tax on fuels had been fixed at the rate of 17 percent by law to streamline the matters related to the pricing of petroleum products.
The government has simplified the approval process for those who wanted to work in the exploration and production business. The official said the government had finalized new downstream oil policy, whereas the work on dualization of the white oil pipeline would start soon.
It merits mentioning that during a period from August 18, 2019, to April 30, 2020, exploration and production (E&P) companies have drilled around 142 wells, out of which 50 were exploratory and 92 appraisals/developmental.
As many as 26 discoveries with the initial flow of 6,799 Barrels per Day (BPD) oil and 234 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) gas were announced.
The E&P companies added 9,444 BPD oil and 218 MMCFD gas was added in the national pool against the depletion of 9611 BPD oil and 279 MMCFD gas from the operational wells.
While the companies had acquired around 5,110 2D Line-Kilometre and 2,693 Square- Kilometer seismic data to assess the potential of hydrocarbon deposits in different pockets

Philip Morris Pakistan has announced its support to establish a recycling facility as part of its anti-littering efforts.
Under the project, the not for profit organization Network of Organizations Working with People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP) will establish a plastic recycling facility while building the capacity of persons with disabilities, one of the most vulnerable minorities.
The project will also empower PWDs through inclusion in economic activities while addressing the serious civic issue of littering which impacts diverse locations—from streets and city parks to beaches and oceans.
The recycling facility will ensure responsible waste management by collecting, storing, and converting PET plastic into items of daily usage such as plastic tiles, coasters, and small planters.
NOWPDP will also train and employ Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) for waste collection and processing. Once the facility is operational, NOWPDP will run anti-littering campaigns for

plastic collection throughout the city of Karachi.
According to Omair Ahmed, CEO NOWPDP, “Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in terms of economic empowerment would open up many avenues in all aspects of their life.
This project would in the long term also facilitate change in mindsets and standard of living of individuals from families of persons with disabilities, low-income communities, individuals engaged through the production process, awareness campaigns, and community outreach.”
Commenting on the partnership, Sadia Dada, Director Communications, shared, “The natural environment should remain unspoiled, beautiful, and litter-free. The occurrence of littering—whether of cigarette butts or other waste—varies across the world, but, in general, it is linked to behavioral attitudes and availability of a waste disposal infrastructure. Changing the habit of littering requires action across three areas: awareness, disposal infrastructure, and social enforcement. We are glad to add our voice in the fight against littering and for sustainability, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment of people with disabilities.”
Sadia added, “We are ready to work with authorities, anti-littering organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to achieve the greatest impact. Littering isn’t an issue unique to us or our products. Myriads of businesses and organizations and individuals have been tackling the problem for years. We’re simply adding our voice and efforts to the fight.”
Globally, PMI is also recycling its waste, implementing green design guidelines, promoting the circular economy, and contributing to global efforts to reduce environmental impacts. PMI’s global commitment is to achieve at least a 50 percent reduction of the plastic litter from our products by 2025 (vs. 2021).
Established in 2008, NOWPDP’s mission is to promote an inclusive society through holistic and sustainable endeavors in the areas of education and economic empowerment.

ionization is the procedure by which a particle or an atom obtains a negative or positive charge by picking up or losing electrons, regularly related to other substance changes.
The subsequent electrically charged iota or atom is called a particle. Ionization can result from the loss of an electron after impacts with subatomic particles, crashes with different iotas, atoms, and particles, or through the association with electromagnetic radiation.
Heterolytic bond cleavage and heterolytic replacement responses can bring about the development of particle sets.
Sources of an ion are utilized to frame particles for mass spectrometers, optical outflow spectrometers, molecule quickening agents, particle implanters, and particle motors.
Ions can be made in an electric gleam release. A shine release is a plasma shaped by the section of electric flow through a low-pressure gas. It is made by applying a voltage between two metal terminals in a cleared chamber containing gas.
At the point when the voltage surpasses a specific worth, called the striking voltage, the gas frames a plasma.
Ions can also be made in an inductively coupled plasma, which is a plasma source in which the vitality is provided by electrical flows which are created by electromagnetic enlistment, that is, by time-changing attractive fields. Plasma electron temperatures can extend between ~60,000 K and ~1000,000 K (~6 eV – ~100 eV), and are generally a few significant degrees more prominent than the temperature of the impartial species. Argon ICP plasma release temperatures are regularly ~5,500 to 6,500 K and are accordingly tantamount to that reached at the surface (photosphere) of the sun (~4,500 K to ~6,000 K). ICP releases are of generally high electron thickness, on the request for 1015 cm−3. Subsequently, ICP releases have wide applications where a high-thickness plasma (HDP) is required. Microwave instigated plasma particle sources are equipped for energizing electrodeless gas releases to make particles for follow component mass spectrometry. A microwave plasma is a kind of plasma, that has high recurrence electromagnetic radiation in the GHz go. It is fit for energizing electrodeless gas releases. Whenever applied in surface-wave-supported mode, they are particularly appropriate to create enormous zone plasmas of high plasma thickness. If they are both in surface-wave and resonator mode, they can display a serious extent of spatial restriction. Glow via gas releases are utilized as a wellspring of light in gadgets, for example, neon lights, fluorescent lights, and plasma-screen TVs. Investigating the light created with spectroscopy can uncover data about the nuclear cooperations in the gas, so sparkle releases are utilized in plasma material science and scientific science. They are likewise utilized in the surface treatment procedure called faltering. In a sparkle release, the transporter age process arrives at a point where the normal electron leaving the cathode permits another electron to leave the cathode. For instance, the normal electron may cause many ionizing crashes by means of the Townsend torrential slide; the subsequent positive particles head toward the cathode, and a small amount of those that cause impacts with the cathode will oust an electron by auxiliary discharge. Low weight is utilized to build the mean freeway; for a fixed electric field, a more extended mean freeway permits a charged molecule to acquire vitality before crashing into another molecule. The phone is ordinarily loaded up with neon, however, different gases can likewise be utilized. An electric capability of a few hundred volts is applied between the two cathodes. A little portion of the number of inhabitants in iotas inside the cell is at first ionized through arbitrary procedures, for example, warm crashes between molecules or by gamma beams. The positive particles are driven towards the cathode by the electric potential, and the electrons are driven towards the anode by a similar potential. The underlying populace of particles and electrons slams into different iotas, energizing, or ionizing them. For whatever length of time that the potential is kept up, a populace of particles and electrons remains

The Chinese government will provide around 38 more agricultural drones to Pakistan in a few months to fight desert locust.
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs had donated the drones for the prevention of desert locust to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research of Pakistan last month.
According to a report of the China Economic Net (CEN), a leading Chinese company expressed willingness to set up an industrial unit in Pakistan to manufacture drones that can be used to protect crops and control locust.
“From factory construction, production, assembly, after-sales to personnel training, we can provide a full set of technical support to help Pakistan develop the drone manufacturing industry to quickly respond to various types of disasters,” said Du Jixiang, Chief Engineer, Beijing Andun Equipment Co. Ltd.
The government is negotiating with a mission of the Chinese aviation industry for the supply of aircraft to carry out aerial spray in the locust-affected areas.
An official of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research said that Pakistan wanted to lease six aircrafts from the Chinese Ministry of Civil Aviation to conduct aerial spray into locust affected areas.
Although Pakistan is yet to deploy these drones to stop desert locusts, a wave of joy has been felt among Pakistani farmers. “It is indeed a piece of great news. China has provided drones to fight locust. It means we will be able to save our crops from locust soon, Ajmal Bhutta, a noted agriculturist based in Multan said over the telephone.
Desert locust is an international trans-boundary concern with major economic, social, and environmental implications.
As per the estimate of officials of the department of agriculture of Pakistan’s provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, the locust attack has damaged crops cultivated on 80,000 hectares of land besides causing serious damage to grazing fields and forest areas.
In February this year, Pakistan declared a national emergency to eliminate the attacking swarms of the desert locust.
“The farmers are very worried as they have seen their crops being destroyed in front of their eyes. These farmers should be compensated,” said Zahid Bhurguri, general secretary of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture.
“Almost all crops and non-crop plants are vulnerable and the insects are one of the biggest threats to food security,” he added.