The future of our forests and water in the context of anthropogenic climate change was the subject of Dr. Shuja ul Mulk Khan’s presentation.
On the occasion of World Water and Forest Day, QALB hosted an online event. Dr. Shuja ul Mulk Khan, an associate professor in the department of plant sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University and a member of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Shafiq ur Rehman, a senior research officer at the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, were the speakers who were invited as guests.
Dr. Shuja ul Mulk Khan holds a PhD in plant ecology and conservation and a postdoctoral degree in biogeography (PCRWR).
Dr. Muhammad Ali, the departmental student affairs coordinator, emphasised the need for awareness campaigns regarding water quality management and forest conservation in his opening remarks. Additionally, he introduced the special guests.
The future of our forests and water in the context of anthropogenic climate change was the subject of Dr. Shuja ul Mulk Khan’s presentation. He explained that Pakistan is an extremely diverse ecological region, with temperatures ranging from over 50°C (in Makran and coastal regions) to -52°C (at the K2 glacier).
Our population growth is putting more strain on our natural resources in addition to the challenges posed by climate change for the preservation of wild plants. Many native and wild plants are currently in danger of extinction, and some of those plants have ties to our society and culture. Our culture could be threatened by threats to these plants.
The audience was updated on the problems and situation with drinking water, particularly in Pakistan, by the second guest speaker, Mr. Shafiq ur Rehman. He demonstrated that up to 82% of the samples of rural and urban drinking water in the nation are unsafe for consumption.
Students from the biotechnology department also talked about issues like Pakistan’s water shortage, water pollution, bottled water versus tap water, water governance, water conservation, and threats to Pakistan’s water bodies.
Participants in the discussion included Ms. Mariam Bint e Asad, Ms. Eman Ashraf, Mr. Umer Mangal (BS 2nd semester), Ms. Bushra Matloob (BS 8th), Ms. Alina Saeed, Ms. Umme Aiman Sheikh, and Mr. Muaz Bajwa (BS 4th). Additionally, the winners of competitions for essays and photographs were revealed. Dr. Muhammad Ali thanked the students who participated in the event and congratulated the competition winners.
He expressed his gratitude to Professor Sarwat Jahan, dean of the faculty of biological sciences, and Dr. Javaria Qazi, department chair, for their encouragement and support of the departmental student society, QALB. “We are appreciative of the guests’ time and their insightful comments. Additionally, we commend the organisers and QALB for such a successful event “In his concluding remarks, he added.