SOS Foundation in Collaboration with QAU launched cleanliness drive in Bari Imam. Dr. Shaista Sohail
ISLAMABAD, May 10 (SABAH): Save Our Society (SOS) Foundation, holds advocacy corner meeting with Bari Imam abadi house wives and Seminar at QAU Urgency to check garbage and sewage dumping in streams and setting up of literacy boards across the country underscored.
The SOS foundation launched its drive in Bari Imam to strive to educate the community on the urgent need to dispose household solid and liquid waste in a manner that is environmentally compliant. The QAU department of Environmental Sciences had arranged a Seminar while earlier SOS housewives listened attentively when briefed by CEO, Dr. Shaista Sohail speaking in the context of Bari Imam near Talli stop Bari Imam. The interactive Seminar was attended by Dr. Sikander, Dr. Abida farooqi, Dr. Sohail Yousuf, Dr. Mazhar Iqbal, Dr. Omer Masood Qureshi, Dr. Fakhar Bilal and the students of the departments of Environmental Sciences. It generated a great deal of interest amongst the students.
Dr. Shaista Sohail explained both to the QAU students and to the ladies that it is in our own interest to dispose off our garbage hygienically. The vegetables, fruits peels that decompose be emptied in compost holes separate from paper/plastic wastes. The compost when ready could be marketed to earn income. A student of QAU Ms. Aksa was carrying out her research project on compost and was eager to share it with Bari Imam ladies. The housewives listened attentively and promised to keep their outside surroundings as clean as homes and undertook not to throw the litter into fresh water streams as the foul smell is avoided. Spread of disease is checked, and consequently expenditure on health is reduced.
The Bari Imam streams empty into Rawal lake. Once residents stop throwing garbage and sewage into these streams Rawal lake will become clean. The water contamination has reached unacceptable levels due to sewage drains being emptied into water channels that fall into fresh water reservoirs. CEO SOS Foundation, urged the QAU students to carry out their Research work on the real issues confronted by the less endowed community at QAU door step and come up with innovative customized solutions to give a better standard of living to the residents.
The participants agreed that CDA needs to impose prohibitive fine on those emptying garbage and sewage in water channels and provide alternate disposal in the form of compost holes, paper/plastic waste collection spots and bioremediation facilities for recycling waste water by using plants and bacteria that lived in their roots that even break up heavy metal pollutants. Sign Boards need to be affixed alongside the streams warning against polluting the water channels.
The second proposal that Dr. Shaista Sohail, CEO SOS Foundation floated at the Seminar was to set up Literacy Boards by placing a desk in existing in the existing intermediate and secondary education boards. They will be providing a second chance and a pathway to all the school drop outs and those who never got a chance to go to school to become literate and improve their socio economic status by studying privately in their own time.
The UN definition of a literate person is that anyone above the age of seven who can read and write with understanding in any language. Apart from reading and writing skills a simple course testing the students on ethical behavior, religious values, need for courteous behavior and a positive and helpful attitude towards other human beings. She also shared that there is an established inverse correlation between education and population growth rate as well. The ‘Literacy Certificate Exam’ be held four times a year; Un limited chances to clear exam be availed by paying the examination fee. She urged the government to adopt this proposal as a part of its education emergency plan. The govt. could consider under pinning the utility of the literacy certificate by making it mandatory for all class four government jobs. The proposal was appreciated by the participants of the Seminar.