Gujranwala the fifth most populous city of Pakistan is deprived of clean drinking water. Industrialization, urbanization, and rapid population growth have placed huge stress on water resources. The people are forced to use contaminated water for drinking purposes which is affecting their health adversely. Gujranwala is an important industrial city and due to rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is deteriorating day by day. The primary source of contamination is the disposal of toxic chemicals from industrial effluents into the canal polluting the underground water sources. The secondary source of water pollution is the sewerage which is extensively discharged into drinking water system supplies. The use of pesticides and fertilizers to increase the agriculture productivity is also deteriorating the drinking water quality. This water contamination is causing several water borne diseases. The need of the hour is to take immediate protective measures to prevent the unhygienic conditions of drinking water supplies in Gujranwala. The wastewater treatment plants should be installed to treat industrial effluents before the final disposal into water bodies. The environment Protection Agency should also take strict action against the industries disposing off industrial waste into water streams without proper treatment.
Safia M
Gujranwala
Rising suicide rates
In Pakistan 15 to 35 people take their life every day. Stress, financial issues, relationship problems such as breakups, or bullying are some of the major reasons of sucide and rural areas are the most affected where people are less educated and have less awareness.
In urban areas we often see news of sucide and most of them are students who have been victim of bullying, fail to get good marks or admission in a desired institution. We have to take this burning issue seriously ,suicides are preventable on both societal and individual level, the main issue with the students who attempted suicide was that they didn’t have anyone to share their problems. Parents should be frank enough with their kids so they don’t hesitate sharing their issues. They should frequently check if their kids are facing any issue or are in stress and they should work to reduce the communication gap.
Muhammad Hassan Amin
Islamabad
Geriatric care
‘’Nobody on earth can ever love you more than your parents’’.
In Pakistan, parents are considered as next to God. Here people respect their parents so much that they consider it as a sin to disobey their parents. Pakistani parents expect their children to look after them in old age. When their son gets married, they are overjoyed by the arrival of daughter in law, feeling more secure and comfortable. Most of the Pakistani families respect their parents and take good care of them but unfortunately there are people who treat their parents as liabilities and making them feel neglected. Of course, there are rare cases when parents themselves prefer the privacy of old age homes but in the majority of cases, it is the cold attitude of children that forces parents to move to old age homes. There is an unnecessary race for more and more money and luxuries which is intoxicating and shattering the Family System. The children think they are doing nothing wrong to keep parents in the elderly house that’s why demand for more old homes is increasing “Our society’s moral and religious values of taking care of old people are fading away and sooner or later it is feared that it may have moral breakdown and we too lose our great family system like West, In our society, the twilight years are generally considered to be spent in prayer. One often hears the adage “Yeh to Allah Allah karney ke din hain”, implying the elderly are only counting down their days. Such comments about thinking and feeling individuals who can still contribute much to society should be taken with a pinch of salt. Meanwhile, society itself needs to give serious thought to taking care of the needs of an elderly population who have given the best years of their lives contributing to it.
Aiman Amjad
Islamabad
Too many people?
Population is the main issue being faced by the world, especially in third world countries. The current world’s population is about 7.7 billion and increasing at a higher pace. Due to high rate of population the world’s issues like climate change, instability, terrorism, corruption, shortage of water are growing in day by day. It is important to note that Pakistan is one of the affected countries of growing population, the current population of Pakistan is nearly 210 million. It is expected that the population of Pakistan can cross 300 million by 2050 which is an alarming situation for Pakistan. Due to the high increase of population, Pakistan is facing serious challenges like shortage of water, electricity, jobs infrastructure, public transportation, health, education and so on. Family planning is an issue where Pakistan is not concerned. It is the responsibility of the government to implement new laws for controlling the population and there should be some strict rules for family planning. Population is the root of every destruction in the country.
Sameen Abid
Turbat
