‘Tech development must for prosperity of Pakistan’ GOC Hyderabad Major General Dilawar Khan visits NCRA-CMS Lab MUET, water center

on 09/01/2023

GOC Hyderabad, Major General Dilawar Khan visited the National Center for Robotics and Automation-Condition Monitoring Systems (NCRA-CMS) Lab established at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology.
He was welcomed and received by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Tauha Hussain Ali, Former Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Aslam Uqaili, Co-Principal investigator NCRA CMS Prof. Dr. Tanweer Hussain Phulpoto, and Business Development Manager/Lecturer and President QS World Merit Pakistan Engr. Muhammad Zakir Shaikh of Mehran University.
He was briefed about NCRA-CMS Lab contributions toward bringing modernization into the Railway Sector of Pakistan by developing indigenous solutions for reducing the risks of accidents and saving human lives.
Also, Major General Dilawar Khan was presented and briefed about various products developed indigenously.
He appreciated and applauded the efforts of the NCRA-CMS Team at Mehran University and stressed that every individual should contribute towards the progress and prosperity of the motherland to the best of their abilities.
GOC Hyderabad also visited the US Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) where he was briefed about activities regarding solving water issues in Pakistan.
He interacted with students and faculty members at USPCAS-W Auditorium where He expressed his deepest sorrow for flood affected region and talked about flood relief activities being undertaken by Pakistan Army.
In his brief talk, he expressed his thoughts on professionalism, character development, and most of all, having compassion for the people around.
He emphasized technological development and its need for the progress and prosperity of our nation. “Seeing is believing and I believe I am looking at the future of our country and it’s very bright” He added.
He also honored students by answering the questions and emphasized that high self-esteem and belief in one’s self is the way to tackle every hurdle in life.
All the participants were highly inspired and very much motivated by the speech of GOC Hyderabad Major General Dilawar Khan.

Tech development must for prosperity of Pakistan’ GOC Hyderabad Major General Dilawar Khan visits NCRA-CMS Lab MUET water cennnter

on 09/01/2023

GOC Hyderabad, Major General Dilawar Khan visited the National Center for Robotics and Automation-Condition Monitoring Systems (NCRA-CMS) Lab established at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology.
He was welcomed and received by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Tauha Hussain Ali, Former Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Aslam Uqaili, Co-Principal investigator NCRA CMS Prof. Dr. Tanweer Hussain Phulpoto, and Business Development Manager/Lecturer and President QS World Merit Pakistan Engr. Muhammad Zakir Shaikh of Mehran University.
He was briefed about NCRA-CMS Lab contributions toward bringing modernization into the Railway Sector of Pakistan by developing indigenous solutions for reducing the risks of accidents and saving human lives.
Also, Major General Dilawar Khan was presented and briefed about various products developed indigenously.
He appreciated and applauded the efforts of the NCRA-CMS Team at Mehran University and stressed that every individual should contribute towards the progress and prosperity of the motherland to the best of their abilities.
GOC Hyderabad also visited the US Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) where he was briefed about activities regarding solving water issues in Pakistan.
He interacted with students and faculty members at USPCAS-W Auditorium where He expressed his deepest sorrow for flood affected region and talked about flood relief activities being undertaken by Pakistan Army.
In his brief talk, he expressed his thoughts on professionalism, character development, and most of all, having compassion for the people around.
He emphasized technological development and its need for the progress and prosperity of our nation. “Seeing is believing and I believe I am looking at the future of our country and it’s very bright” He added.
He also honored students by answering the questions and emphasized that high self-esteem and belief in one’s self is the way to tackle every hurdle in life.
All the participants were highly inspired and very much motivated by the speech of GOC Hyderabad Major General Dilawar Khan.

Why monsoon 2022 devastated Pakistan
PEC takes engineering with horns, recommends integrated plan
Top engineers resolve to shoulder authorities in
rebuilding effort, corrective measures

on 09/01/2023

Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)’s brainstorming session chaired by Chairman Engr. Najeeb Haroon has recommended making a comprehensive integrated plan keeping in view climate change, its impacts on Pakistan, and also the nation’s past flood experiences in the country.
The sitting held at the council’s headquarters in Islamabad had a comprehensive attendance of engineers both from civilian and military sides and also it touched each and every aspect of the devastation caused by monsoon rains in Pakistan this year.
Also, the brainstorming session manifested the willingness of the council to play its part as the largest body of engineers in Pakistan and to offer its engineering expertise to the federal government and all provincial governments in the country.
Chairman Engr. Haroon said the engineers should take responsibility so that a required improvement should be brought about in engineering projects from top to bottom.
The moot was of the view that the future plan should be made in a way that the country should not undergo the situation that it is faced with this year.
The exchange indicated that Pakistan did not have a history of executing the plans that were designed at the advent of situations. One participant, sharing his experience said, in 2010, the then government made a committee to formulate a plan but it did not put it into execution.
A participant from Balochistan talked about remedial measures and insisted on ensuring funds in July so that the flood plans are executed. He also talked about a comprehensive analysis of the heaviest rains in Balochistan and Sindh—the provinces that got 500 percent and 400 percent more rains respectively. He said since the damage is the effect, we should look into the causes.
The setting also talked about the ignorance of Sindh’s terrain due to which the province witnessed the devastation caused by the gushing waters from Balochistan’s mountainous range. Since the bed of the river is above ground level, flood waters do not fall back into the river. Also, the waterways are obstructed by road networks and land grabbing for the increase of population. Now, water has to be flushed out of these lands, and for which the terrain should be understood in these areas.
They also referred to the observations of the international institutions and media that indicated and wrote about the huge lakes made by flood waters in the middle of Sindh.
This view was echoed by another participating engineer who recommended forming coordination committees tasked to ensure that the floods are passed through the river safely.
A senior engineer from KP also talked about the choking of waterways in his province where besides other areas, a city like Naushehra was almost submerged in flood waters. His view revealed choking of waterways all over the country turns out to be one of the most significant issues in flood management operations.
He emphasized that the laws relating to waterways must be enforced in letter and spirit.
The moot talked about legislation relating to engineering, policy, and law so that all plans sail smoothly without any obstacles all over the country.
On the rehabilitation side, the session had a very pertinent suggestion for rebuilding areas washed away by flood waters. For instance, a participant recommended having an early warning system at the lower level such as Union Council. He said we need to create higher grounds, NDMA should be informed to provide relief, solar systems should be installed for providing clean water, model villages should be set up, dykes should be redesigned and all dams should be passed through forensic examination.
Yet another participant, focusing on the macro-level recommended formulating national guidelines for structures. He also said the priority should be fixed on the livelihood of the people and there should be national guidelines as to how to deal with such situations. There should be separate flood plans for each province.
The session, in one or the other way, talked about looking at things fresh in the context of climate change that devastated Pakistan this year. Engineers from Balochistan were also in resonance with this view and recommended that all development funds of the provinces usually earmarked under annual development programs should be diverted to rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts of the provinces.
The moot also had a voice against the bad governance in the country and a senior engineer attributed much of this devastation to bad governance. He said nepotism and corruption are on the rise in the country which must be curbed.
The participants included Engr. Lt Gen(R) Moazzam Ejaz, Engr. Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, Engr. Dr. Tahir Masood, Engr. Ahmad Kamal, Engr. Zahid Arif, Engr. Muhammad Waseem Asghar, Engr. Syed Muhammad Mehr Ali Shah, Engr. Dr. Abdul Sattar Shakir, Engr. Waseem Nazir, Engr. Dr. Bashir Lakhani, Engr. Sikandar Hayat Khattak, Engr. Qazi Iftikhar, Engr. Dr. Tabassum Zahoor, Engr. Manzoor Shaikh, Engr. Tahir Hayat and Engr. Farooq Sheikh.n

Monsoon rains, floods pose colossal challenge

on 09/01/2023

Unprecedented monsoon rains and flooding continue to affect the people and have affected over 30 million people over the last few weeks. Though the figures vary from 30 million to 33 million, the updates pouring in from Sindh and Balochistan and parts of Southern Punjab suggest that the number of affectees will rise and is likely to depict a scene more alarming than the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said the number of affected in the province has surpassed 10 million. He has issued a call to the affluent classes to play their part in relief operations across the province as the provincial government cannot meet the challenge alone.
Over 23 districts of the province have been declared calamity-hit areas where the damages are being assessed. As per media and social media reports, the loss on accounts of infrastructure is huge.
In his emergent televised message, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said, “I have visited almost all the districts of the province and found everything inundated with rain water,” he said and added that the people who have been temporarily settled at relief camps are in a state of shock after losing their near and dear ones, their cattle, and other belongings.
The CM said women and children are living with tears in their eyes in relief camps.
Shah said that the riverine floods of 2010 had submerged all the cities, towns, and villages on the right bank of River Indus while the flash flood of 2011 had flooded the entire left bank and in those days our road network was not so good and despite this, philanthropists had helped the homeless and displaced people.
The chief minister said: “Compared to 2010 and 2011 our road network, including link roads and farms to market roads provides easy access, therefore philanthropists, welfare organizations and donor agencies should visit to take stock of the situation and help and support the distressed people.
Balochistan another affected province of Pakistan seems to be the hardest hit where not only the number of displacements is high but also the economy of the province has washed out with the floods. Over 5 lakh animals including cattle, one of the important sources of livelihood for the local people have died.
Thousands of kilometers of roads and many bridges have been washed out and other infrastructures have been damaged badly.
The torrential rains that triggered massive floods last month have also killed over 900 people all over Pakistan.
Some reports say Sindh in the country’s southeast and Balochistan in the southwest are the two most affected provinces. More than 504,000 livestock have been killed, nearly all of them in Balochistan, while damage to nearly 3,000 km of roads and 129 bridges have impeded movement around flood-affected areas.
Rehman and his cabinet colleagues say Sindh is the hardest hit province in the last few days. Sindh has requested 1 million tents for the affected people.
Reports from locals say there is a scant number of dry patches of land in many districts and those also are threatened by flooding in the canal system of the Indus River. The flood protection dykes along with the Indus are also facing the onslaught of the flood water on the right side of the river.
“South of Pakistan is inundated almost underwater. … People are going to higher ground,” Rehman said. “Needs assessment is being done, we have to make U.N.’s international flash appeal; this is not the task of one country or one province, it is a climate-induced disaster,” she added.
Rehman said Sindh has received “784%” more rainfall this month than the August average, while the province of Balochistan had received nearly 500% more.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal also said that 30 million people had been affected, a figure that would represent about 15% of Pakistan.
However, the U.N. agency Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the monsoon rains had affected some 3 million people in Pakistan of which 184,000 have been displaced to relief camps across the country.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that 150 kilometers of roads had been damaged across the country and over 82,000 homes have been partially or fully damaged.
Since mid-June, when the monsoon began, over 3,000 kilometers of road, 130 bridges, and 495,000 homes have been damaged, according to NDMA’s situation report in the last week of August, figures also echoed in the OHCA report.
Funding and reconstruction efforts will be a challenge for cash-strapped Pakistan, which is having to cut spending to ensure that the International Monetary Fund approves the release of much-needed bailout money. ERMD

Saqib Munawwar assumes charge of Controller
Examinations NHU

on 09/01/2023

Engineer Saqib Munawwar has taken acting charge of Controller of Examinations at Nazeer Hussain University (NHU) Karachi. Engr. Munawwar has on his credit 12+ years of working experience as an academician, and researcher besides administration and management.
Also, he has been involved with professional societies at national and international levels i.e. PEC, IEP, IEEEP, IEEE, ACM, NCEAC, ASHRAE, PHVACRS, etc.