No country can develop without steel manufacturing units: Dr. Faizullah Abbasi

on 14/01/2019

Reviving Pakistan Steel Mills, one the leading steel manufacturing unit of the country is a huge challenge. Government and public sector experts have varying opinions for the revival of this unit so are their ways and means.
Dawood University of Engineering and Technology (DUE&T) Karachi invited a number of senior engineers and corporate sector experts to determine if PSM can be revived.
This moot gave us an opportunity to talk to Vice Chancellor DUE&T Dr. Faizullah Abbasi on this issue.
Can PSM be revived in the current economic situation of the country?
We need steel and of course steel mills. It’s not possible that any country can develop with steel production. There is no question about it. Yes, it is to be decided if we want to revive PSM or go for building another one. I think we need three to four steel mills of PSM’s type. Also, we should revive PSM. This is how we will develop.
At the moment, we import all steel for our requirement and what we produce a small quantity at home is also poor in quality. We make it from scrap and thus varies in quality. So we need an integrated plan of steel in Pakistan.
Does Pakistan’s current economic situation suggest such a huge investment?
This is probably a chicken and an egg situation if the egg is first or the chicken. When we shall make an investment in steel making, our economy will also develop. This is the question which should be responded by the economists. But I feel PSM can technically be revived.
What did you achieve from this seminar?
We have to be the University of relevance and our core competence is technical due diligence which is our main focus. We did not take other issues related to PSM.n

Who won IEP election 2018 Engr. Sohail Bashir elected as chairman IEP, Karachi

on 14/01/2019

Engr. Sohail Bashir was elected as chairman and of the Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP), Karachi Center for the term 2019-2021.
As per the results of the elections of the institution, Engr. Tafseer Ahmed Khan (Electrical), Engr. Prof. Dr. Tehseen Rahim (Electronics), Engr. Muhammad Farooq Arhi (Civil & Structural) and Engr. M. Aijazul Hague (Mechanical) were declared successful as vice chairmen of the institution.
The successful members of the local council include:
Civil & Structural
Engr. Sartaj Ahmad Khan (E-1388), Engr. Asfia Aleem (F-1660) Engr. M.A. Ansari (F.1702) Engr. Payam ul Haq Siddiqi (F-1788), Engr. Syed Asim Ali Tirmizi (F-1942), Engr. Ashkar Dawar (M-10179), Engr. Prof. Dr. Mir Shabbar Ali (M-11351) Engr. Farooq Razzak Fazal (M-11438), Engr. Khalid Mirza (M-2999), Engr. Nooruddin Ahmed (M-13735), Engr. Al-Kazim Mansoor (M-16592), Engr. Prof. Dr. Abdul Jabbar Sangi (M-18092), Engr. Nadeem Manzoor Hasan (M-18481), Engr. Dr. Farrukh Arif (M-19295), Engr. Faiza Saeed (M-19761), Engr. Umar Mashkoor Makhdumi (M-20048), Engr. Nimrah Saeed (M-20406)
Electrical
Engr. Tafseer Ahmed Khan (F-1905), Engr. Obaid ur Rahman Khan Kemal Zai (F-1915), Engr. Aftab Ahmed (M-17155), Engr. Afaq Ali Siddiqui (M-18744), Engr. Mariam Anwar (M-19096), Engr. Sheeraz Ali (M-19613)
Electronics
Engr. Nabil Kaloo (M-6095), Engr. Talha Ahmad Farooqi (M-19300), Engr. Masood Ahmed (M-19319), Engr. Abdul Samad (M-20371), Engr. Muhammad Shariq Khan (M-20383)
Mechanical
Engr. Abdul Rahim (F-1917), Engr. Amanullah Hanif (F-1920), Engr Abdul Wahab Tajwani (M-9687), Engr. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tufail (M-15658), Engr. Prof. Dr. Mubashir Ali Siddiqui (M 16548), Engr. Muhammad Umer Siddiqui (M-19276), Engr. Prof. Dr. Nasir Uddin (M-19848)
Aeronautical /Industrial) Marine/Petro-Gas
Engr. Syed Ali Hasnam Naqvi (F-1590), Engr. Syed Mohammad Pervez Sadiq (F-1926)
Chemical/Metallurgy/ Nuclear/Telecom
Engr. Dr. Shagufta Ishteyaque (M-16756), Engr. Prof. Dr. Inyatullah Memon (M-18100), Engr. Farah Shamim (M-18449) n

MUET Water Center organizes Executive Seminar on Industrial Wastewater Management ‘None of 4 thousand industries in Sindh treat effluents’

on 14/01/2019

Justice (R) Amir Hani Muslim, the head of Water Commission constituted by the
Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) said that industrial units wereobligated to install treatment plants as per law. ‘All industries ought to treat effluents before they discharge them’.
He said that all industries have an obligation that all the discharge effluent has to be treated at the industrial units primarily. He said this while he spoke as Chief Guest at a seminar on ‘Industrial Wastewater Management, organized by the US-Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) of Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET).
There are around four thousand industrial units in Sindh and none of them have installed a treatment plant, he said adding that a quantity of 450MGD untreated water was being drained directly into the sea.
It was the commission that compelled the provincial and federal authorities to install treatment plants, he added. At present, 70-80MGDwater is now being treated through a treatment plant following the directions of the commission. By June 2019, another treatment plant with a treatment capacity of 100MGD water will start functioning.
Justice Hani Muslim revealed Karachi Port Trust (KPT)had also committed to installing a treatment plant with a capacity to treat 100MGD water. Yet another plant will start operatingin a span of two years’ time.
Stressing the need to hold pollutant industrial units accountable, Justice Hani Muslim said industrial pollution was hazardous for the people as well as marine life thus it needed not to be monitored by the stakeholders only but also to be resolved on a sustainable basis.
For solid waste management, he said an effective work was required to be done in the province.
USAID Acting Mission Director Sindh and Balochistan Mark Sorensen also spoke in the seminar saying USAID was always supportive to research and academic activities in Pakistan so as to find out the way forward for persisting problems like water, energy, and agriculture. The ‘Water Center’is committed to producing quality graduates which will ultimately engage them to resolve the water crises in the country.
MUET Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Mohammad AslamUqaili said the Center was producing water experts with the latest curricula, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities to resolve water issues of the country. Without quality graduates, reliable and tested data, one cannot resolve issues.
He informed the seminar that as many as 35 sugar mills in Sindh were operating without any treatment plants which caused various water and environment issues that the community wasfaced with.
He assured academia’s research support for a sustainable solution of the issues for the community across the board based.
USPCAS-W Project Directors Dr. Bakshlal Lashari from MUET and Dr. Steven J. Burian from University Utah also spoke in the technical session regarding research efforts being made by the center.
Sindh Minister for Climate Change, Coastal Development, Information, Science and Technology, Taimor Talpur who was the chief guest in the second session of the moot said water is a very much precious commodity for the humankind and it is diminishing day by day. He called for steps and change in lifestyle to stop the wastage of water.n

‘Water and sewerage in Karachi to be under thumb in 2 years’

on 14/01/2019

Engineering Review talks to Mr. Shahab Usto,
the lead petitioner in
water and sewerage case

KWSB’s 16 hydrants in Karachi provide just 1 percent of water. Isn’t it surprising? The board earns Rs.1 billion {through corruption} from that 1 percent water. If we add up 20 to 25 percent stolen water into the system, the situation would greatly change provided corrupt practices are stopped. Almost everyone in the industry had taken unauthorized lines which were illegal. Now they are unearthed and are being brought under regulation. Water and sewerage in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic hub would be well within manageable limits in next two years, claims Shahab Usto, lead petitioner of ‘Water

and Sewerage Case’ in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In follow up to the petition, the apex court had constituted a commission usually called the Water Commission which is now led by Justice (R ) Amir Muslim Hani.
Mr. Usto who talked to ER as regards progress on water and sewerage projects in Karachi said, “We shall completely be handling sewerage issue in this city within the next two years. The works the commission has done are credible and in line with resolving the issue”. What the commission has done within one and a half year has not been done in the last 30 years even by the governments, he says.
Highrise buildings
Is there any plan as regards water and sanitation that the SC has permitted resuming building highrise buildings in Karachi?
The construction industry is worth trillions of rupees and behind it are many mafias. Initially, the situation was not clear and we intended to find ways and means to provide water and take care of sanitation issues. Thus, I pressed upon banning the construction of highrise buildings. Now, we know the situation as to how much water is being stolen and how much sanitary water is being produced.
The ban had created uncertainty as regards the future of these buildings. Also, it had affected the employment of the construction workers. This time, they {the owners of high-rise buildings} said till these buildings were complete, the water issue and sewerage would be well within manageable limits.
We shall completely be handling sewerage issue in this city within the next two years. The works the commission has done are credible and in line with resolving the issue. What the commission has done within one and a half year has not been done in the last 30 years even by the governments.
In Karachi, 100 MGD pumping station has been installed in Dhabechi. It is an addition to the total. Then, around 30 percent of water is being stolen in the city and we are trying to reduce it by 5 percent resulting in an increase of 25 percent water. Regulations are there now. Water meters are being installed at all bulk water points. Pumping stations would also be provided with water measuring meters.
KWSB’s 16 hydrants in Karachi provide just 1 percent of water. Isn’t it surprising? The board earns Rs.1 billion {through corruption} from that 1 percent water. If we add up 20 to 25 percent stolen water into the system, the situation would greatly change provided corrupt practices are stopped. Almost everyone in the industry had taken unauthorized lines which were illegal. Now they are unearthed and are being brought under regulation.
Sindh Govt. departments’ performance
There prevailed chaos when we had started this work. For example, there were 2200 RO plants installed all Sindh. The company which installed these plants was just one and the executors were more. They included the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), KWSB, Special Initiatives, and Thar Coal Authority. There was no information as to how many plants were installed, what amount of money was spent and how many RO plants were functional? When were started looking into the issue, we came to know that 90 percent of RO plants were not working. We were successful to start over 1100 plants.
Now the commission has consolidated the record and only PHE is bound to do the job. In this department, there were no engineers. Then, the commission recommended recruiting 300 engineers through the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC). They are working now.
There was a time when no filter plant in any city of Sindh including its capital Karachi was functional and also no sewerage treatment plant moving.
Now, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) is working and over 2300 industrial units have committed in writing that they would install treatments plants by March-April 2019. The agency has now three additional offices in rural Sindh.
Due to the commission, a system in Sindh government departments has started functioning. The commission has paid 68 visits all over the province and held more than 100 hearings. Such number of visits, I m sure have not paid by the chief minister himself. If this spirit is maintained by Sindh government, this province could be improved 50 times more than Punjab in 5 years.
Sindh government must be happy now as the commission is carrying out its work. The chief minister would like to keep the commission going.
Can we maintain such spirit and has the culture changed, no matter a bit of it?
There is no one accusation, be it the misuse of authority or any personal gain ever hurled at the commission, neither at the commission nor at the petitioner–Mr. Usto.
As far as culture in Sindh government departments is concerned, we have not been able to change it at all. You need policies to effect such a change. Incentives, reward, and punishment are required and it is continuous accountability which surely is required.n

‘Keti Bandar has more power density than Hawks Bay’

on 24/12/2018

Offshore wind farms technically and financially feasible: Dr. Mubashir Ali Siddiqi

‘Offshore wind resource assessment and energy estimation’ made by a professor of NED University of Engineering and Technology has unearthed that Keti Bandar, a coastal town of Thatta district has a higher potential of wind power than Hawks Bay in Karachi. Dr. Mubashir Ali Siddiqi who led the assessment told Engineering Review that Keti Bandar had more power density and setting up wind power projects there were also financially feasible. Dr. Mubashir who presented his paper in an international conference held in NED University said they selected 5 types of offshore wind turbines, in use worldwide. A 3-megawatt wind turbine appeared to be feasible and its level cost of energy is estimated to be 12 cents. However, internationally the levelized cost of energy of offshore wind farms by 2020 would be US$0.1 (10 cents). It proves our research is technically as well as financially sound.

At present 1200 megawatts from Gharo and Jhimpir are connected with the national grid and another 1000 megawatts are in pipeline. This potential has benefited Pakistan and thus international conference was being held for the first time, he said. About local manufacturing, he said turbine blades and generators are imported. However, steel towers are being fabricated locally by Descon.

We need to start fabrication of blades in Pakistan and the industry should take an initiative. He said Renewable Policy 2006 should be reviewed immediately and the government should encourage investors to establish a wind blade manufacturing unit in Pakistan. Regarding the conference, Dr. Siddiqi was happy to have such moot in Pakistan and was amazed by the participation of the industry. This is what we wanted, he says. Industry and academia should go together and require to strengthen the linkage. We visited FFC Limited and witnessed a technical center established there as the company knows the significance. Now there must be a fabrication center which someone should start.