Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Updates

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US donates 36 vehicles to health dept. for better service delivery​

Ashfaq Yusufzai
August 5, 2022

Ambassador of the United States to Pakistan Donald Blome on Thursday handed over 36 vehicles to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra. — Photo courtesy: USAID Twitter

PESHAWAR: Ambassador of the United States to Pakistan Donald Blome on Thursday handed over 36 vehicles to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra saying the initiative will improve health service delivery at primary and secondary care level as well as coronavirus detection and vaccination through better surveillance and monitoring.

“We [US] enjoy 75 years long cooperation with Pakistan. Our country is assisting the host population in addressing their public health issues through disease surveillance initiatives and will continue with it,” the ambassador told the vehicles handing over ceremony here.

Mr Blome said the US was providing technical assistance to Pakistan for effective response to Covid-19 and had so far donated 62 million vaccine doses to it.

He said the US was cooperating with Pakistan at the federal level with priority being given to the violence-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

“We [US] are assisting Pakistan to improve its maternal health and bring down child mortality through various initiatives,” he said.

The ambassador said the US had imparted training to 27,000 Pakistani doctors.

He said the USAID Integrated Health Systems Strengthening and Service Delivery activity was meant to improve public trust in the provincial government’s services, improve governance, enhance equitable delivery of basic services, including Covid-19 care and inoculation and strengthening health security.

“We [US] have refurbished and donated essential equipment to 180 primary healthcare facilities in addition to operationalisation of seven more hospitals to make maternal, newborn and child healthcare effective,” he said.

Mr Blome said training had been given to 3,000 healthcare providers on infection control and prevention, while 400 were trained in management of critical Covid-19 patients in ICU.

He also said 16,000 lady health workers underwent training in the management of virus-hit people at home.

The ambassador said the US mission, in collaboration with the provincial government, had imparted training to 500 members of the rapid response teams to strengthen monitoring and surveillance and control the outbreak of Covid-19.

He said bilateral cooperation had benefitted both countries over the years and it would continue.

US Consul General in Peshawar Richard H. Riley and USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman were also present.

Health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra termed the USAID’s support as crucial for strengthening the Integrated Disease Surveillance System in the province and counted the measures taken by the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf’s government for revamping the health system in the province.

The minister appreciated the US’s assistance in establishing the state-of-the-art burns centre in Peshawar.

“Under a reform programme, we [KP government] have accorded autonomy to 11 teaching hospitals and initiated basic reforms in primary and secondary care system to benefit patients,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2022

 

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World Bank to fund two hydropower projects in Swat​

Bureau Repor
August 6, 2022

PESHAWAR: The World Bank will fund two hydropower projects of 245 megawatts in Swat district in the current year. The initiative will generate an annual income of more than Rs13 billion for the province, said a statement issued here.

The projects were discussed during a meeting between a delegation of the World Bank Mission led by senior energy specialist Mohammad Saqib with provincial energy and power secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah.

The other participants included chief executive officer of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation Naeem Khan, KHRE programme chief engineer Shah Hussain, Gabral Kalam power project director Asif Kamal, Maiden power project director Mustafa Kamal and feasibility studies and management project director Mohammad Faraz.

The meeting was informed that with the financial support of World Bank, work on two hydropower projects in Swat district would start in the current year for the development of energy sector in the province. They include 157MW Maiden and 88MW Gabral Kalam hydropower projects.

An agreement of $450 million has been signed by the WB and provincial government for the purpose. The projects will be completed by 2027 generating more than Rs13 billion annual income for the province.

In the meeting, power secretary Imtiaz Hussain Shah appreciated the World Bank’s steps for funding the development of energy sector in the province and hoped that foreign investment would come to the province from the above mentioned projects, which will help the province.

Pedo chief executive Naeem Khan assured the World Bank delegates that he would do his best to resolve problems regarding energy projects, especially land acquisition.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2022

 

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USAID’s contribution to health, education sector in KP commendable​

APP
Sat, 6 Aug 2022

ISLAMABAD, Aug 06 (APP): The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partners with the government of Pakistan at the federal, provincial, and district levels to improve the lives of citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, with a focus on the newly merged districts, by expanding governance, improving service delivery, and increasing economic opportunities.

The Burns and Trauma Center in Peshawar and the Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (UET Peshawar) are part of this collaboration and a prime example of this partnership, said a statement on Saturday.

The Burns and Trauma Center was established in 2019 and is providing admirable services to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since then.

As partners with the government of Pakistan for this project, the United States government, through a grant from USAID, provided $15 million to purchase equipment and complete the center.

In past, the burn victims had to travel long distances to other parts of Pakistan for treatment. The Burns and Trauma Centre ensures the burn victims will receive high-quality services closer to home.

In addition to burn victims, the center provides trauma treatment and plastic surgery services. Its 120 beds can accommodate 10,000 patients annually.

The facility serves all parts of KP, including the newly merged areas (formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas or FATA) and other areas bordering Afghanistan.

Also in Peshawar, is the United States-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E). The United States has invested $127 million in the center to find innovative and practical solutions for Pakistan’s energy, water, agriculture, and food security challenges. Through this initiative, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Peshawar has partnered with Arizona State University to create center for energy research.

This partnership has multiple goals, including curriculum development, research, the establishment of new laboratories, and exchange programs.

This center has aimed to set new standards for supporting the success of women and disadvantaged youth in the engineering profession.

The Center for Advanced Studies in Energy at UET-Peshawar is offering Master’s and Ph D degrees in the various areas.

To this date, over 250 Energy Engineers and Managers have successfully graduated from USPCAS-E, having excellent understanding of indigenous energy challenges and their solution.

USPCAS-E has established state-of-the-art laboratories and has commenced testing commercial samples. KP Chief Minster, declared USPCAS-E as a think-tank and focal entity for all energy related issues of KP.

This year marks the completion of 75 years of the wonderful partnership between the United States and Pakistan.

Recently, the United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, along with USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman and US Consul General Richard H Riley also visited the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) in UET and Burns and Trauma Centre in Hayatabad Peshawar.

Speaking on this occasion, Ambassador Blome said that we are proud to play our role for the development and prosperity of the people in KP.

 

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Nowshera. The construction of Higher Secondary School Akbarpura has been completed at a cost of 22 crore rupees
Which is equipped with all advanced and modern facilities..

 

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LZU China set up Atmosphere and Environment Lab at UoP​

Lanzhou University (LZU), China ─ under an MoU in the field of physics, climate, and atmosphere─ besides installing high-tech instruments has established a key laboratory of “Atmosphere and Environment” at University of Peshawar (UoP), Pakistan. The laboratory will contribute to atmospheric measurements and research in the fields of environment and climate change.

Earlier this week, two delegates, Mr. Wuren Li and Mr. Meishi Li from LZU, visited Peshawar and held a meeting with Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees, Prof Dr Zahid Anwar Pro Vice Chancellor and Director China Study Center UoP and other officials.

In the presence of Chinese delegates Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees inaugurated “Automatic Meteorological Weather Station” at Department of Physics which was installed under the MoU with Innovation Center for Western Ecological Safety, LZU, China.

The Vice-chancellor thanked LZU for the Automatic Weather Station, a global standard for climate and boundary-layer meteorology.

“Hopefully more research collaboration between LZU and UoP will take place under the MoU between the two universities,” said Wuren Li.

 

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A view of solar mini-grid station in Tank, KP. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) is constructing solar mini-grid stations (Photovoltaic Solar System) to provide uninterrupted electricity to business centers in the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

One of these solar mini-grid stations is located in Jandola, subdivision Tank in southern KP. Construction of the mini-grid station is almost completed and the power transmission will be accomplished shortly, according to PEDO.

 

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CPEC-supported solar energy boosts Pakistani produce cultivation​

Tahir Ali | Gwadar Pro

Palai valley produces quality blood red oranges. [Photo by Tahir Ali/Gwadar Pro]


PESHAWAR, Jan. 8 (Gwadar Pro) - Malakand district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is a strategically important position, which gives access to the ancient, beautiful valley of “Udyana” (Swat). Palai is a small valley in lower Malakand, known for producing high-quality oranges (called malta, citrus sinensis). Palai is the center of a cluster of seven villages namely Bara Bazdara, Koza Bazdara, Sherkhana, Zormandai, Mora Banda and Zangal, all producing citrus for decades.

The oranges of Palai are popular due to their distinctive aroma, taste, color and size. Although the sandy loamy soil of Palai valley is suitable for cultivating oranges, especially the blood-red citrus until recently the lack of a proper irrigation system limited its cultivation to household consumption instead of commercial sale and consumption.

According to Raham Khaliq, a local cultivator, in the early 1980s farmers started digging tube wells running with electric power generators, leading to an increase in citrus orchards. Some farmers also established similar orchards with tube wells running with diesel generators. Hence, with the advent of tube wells in the area, citrus production increased and people began to sell their fruits in nearby markets. However, the majority of the tube wells were established near villages, so remote uninhabited areas, with no electricity supply line, remained barren, or people cultivated wheat, maize and other such crops relying on rainwater.

Talking to Gwadar Pro, Raham Khaliq said that the malta of Palai had established itself in the market due to its quality. In recent years, the number of citrus orchards increased a lot after farmers started installing solar-powered tube wells in their fields. Apart from citrus, local people also cultivate peaches, guavas, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Orange orchard irrigated with solar-powered tube well in Sherkhana village. [Photo by Tahir Ali/Gwadar Pro]


Afzal Hussain installed a solar-powered pump on his tube-well in Bara Bazdara village about five years ago. The tube well brought about a revolution in his farming and he began the cultivation of malta, peaches and tomatoes in his fields, which for centuries had relied only on rainwater and produced only wheat and corn. “Today my land is not only a source of income for my family but our orchards have provided informal jobs for several locals,” .

Zahid Shah is another farmer from Sherkhana village who uses both electric and diesel operated tube-wells to water his orange orchards. However, he is thinking of switching to a solar-powered tube-well. “Due to frequent load-shedding and low voltage and soaring gasoline prices, I am going to move to solar tube-wells,” he told Gwadar Pro adding that many cultivators have started using solar systems and even the arid hilly areas have turned green due to solar-powered tube wells.

The area with bright blue sky and powerful sun receive more than 10 hours of sunlight making it conducive for solar system installation.

Abdur Rahim runs a small engineering workshop in Batkhela, the headquarters of the Malakand district. Although he is not an engineer with a university degree, he has acquired expertise in the solar energy system and has installed many solar systems to meet the electricity needs of households and farms.

Talking to Gwadar Pro, Abdur Rahim said the solar-powered tube wells have brought about an agricultural revolution in the Malakand area. People have started growing fruit trees and cultivating wheat and maize on those arid lands which until recently were only suitable for shrubs while some planted eucalyptus in those fields.

Solar-powered tube well turns barren land green. [Photo by Tahir Ali/Gwadar Pro]

Due to limited resources, Abdur Rahim’s clients opt for cheaper solar-powered tube wells. “I have set up such tube wells worth about Rs. 170,000 to Rs 1,100,000 (1.1 million) for my clients”, he said. According to him, all the photovoltaic (PV) modules he uses are from China while the stands and cables for the system are made in Pakistan.

The majority of submersible water-pumps used in the tube wells are also Chinese products. “Almost 80% of the parts of solar-powered tube wells come from China, while 20% of the parts are made locally,” he said and added that some of the farmers had to spend Rs 10,000 to Rs. 40,000 per month for electricity and fuel consumption but are now running their solar-powered tube wells at no monthly cost.

Pakistan is facing an electricity crisis. Currently, most of the electricity comes from fossil fuel, which is imported and costs a huge amount of money. However, Pakistan has abundant renewable energy resources including wind, solar, hydro and biomass that could ensure large-scale renewable electricity systems in the country. According to Pakistan Economic Survey 2019-20, Pakistan generates 96,382 GWH electricity, out of which only 2,057 GWH comes from renewable energy sources.

According to energy experts, Pakistan has a high potential for renewable energy resources with solar being one of the most convenient and easily achievable mediums. Quaid-e-Azam 1000 MW Solar Park in Bahawalpur, South Punjab, is also part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to the CPEC official website, the commercial operation date (COD) of 4x 100 MW was attained in August 2016 while 600 MW is under construction.

According to Saeed Hussain, a senior official of the Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET), the PV modules are one of the cheapest ways to get electricity. “Mostly Pakistanis import PV from China, which is leading in solar technology in the world,” he told Gwadar Pro and added that currently around 200 MW electricity is received from PV including from small-scale generation.

Water supply scheme run with solar energy in upper Malakand. [Photo by Tahir Ali/Gwadar Pro]


In a recent conversation with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Pakistan would soon establish its own solar and batteries manufacturing units by establishing a local partnership with Chinese mega-producers. “It would be a big change if Pakistan made its own energy and manufactured its own panels and batteries,” the Minister said.

The Government of Prime Minister Imran Khan has formulated a new Alternative and Renewable Energy (ARE) policy aimed at creating a conducive environment and supported by a robust framework for the sustainable growth of the ARE sector in Pakistan.

ARE Policy 2019-20 envisages the development of large-scale ARE projects in all parts of the country through the active participation of the provinces. The projects focus specifically on wind and solar energy and invite the private sector to develop their business-cum-supply chain for off-grid solar solutions in remote villages.

The policy aims to extend the current share of ARE in the country’s energy from 5% to 20% by 2025 while in 2030 at least 30% of the country’s electricity would be received from renewable energy sources.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1560157101825167361

 

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30 Km Dir Motorway, ..80 km Swat Motorway extension which will connect Chitral and Gilgit, will revolutionize trade, agriculture, and tourism in the area.

 

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Flood destruction..
Munda Headworks, designed for discharge of about 225,000 cusecs after flood of 2010.

 

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KPK Government Mi-17 Helicopter

Mi-17 helicopter of Government of KPK has delivered food items in KP, it will also carry back stranded tourists from Kalam. Top priority will be Female & children.

 

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At least 10,000 houses destroyed in K-P from rain, floods​

At least 193 people killed, 16 schools damaged

August 27, 2022

Relentless downpours left a wake of destruction in the Mahandri area of Balakot.

 

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Water Resources Federal Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz and WAPDA Chairman Lt. Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) today visited Mohmand Dam Project to review the situation in the project area in the wake of the unprecedented flood peaks in River Swat.

Water Resources Federal Secretary and WAPDA Chairman had a detailed round of various components of the project to have first hand information about adverse impact of the flood in the project area. Mohmand Dam Project Director, senior WAPDA officers, representatives of the Consultants and the Contractor were also present during their visit.

Mohmand Dam Project management made a detailed presentation about the pre and post-flood situations. The Federal Secretary and the Chairman were briefed that construction activities were continuing at a good pace on as many as 14 locations of the project prior to the flood that severely hit the construction area yesterday.

They were also briefed about the impact of the flood and loss to different components of the project, especially diversion tunnels, re-regulation pond and periphery roads on both banks of River Swat in the project area. It was further briefed that this loss and impact will affect timelines of the project’s completion. The Federal Secretary and the Chairman were also apprised of the measures taken by the project management to avoid any further loss.

Speaking on the occasion, WAPDA Chairman said that the prompt response of the project management to such unprecedented flood had not only helped minimize impact of the flood but also save precious lives of the engineers and workers at the construction sites, which is commendable. He said that the construction activities shall be resumed immediately after passage of the flood. The Chairman directed the project management to devise a contingency plan in consultation with the Consultants and the Contractor to overcome possible delays in completion of the project.

It is pertinent to mention that Mohmand Dam is being constructed on River Swat in District Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill Dam (CFRD) in the world. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

On completion, the dam will store about 1.2-million-acre feet (MAF) of water and help mitigate floods in Peshawar, Charsadda and Naushera. Besides supplementing 160,000 acres of existing land, about 18,237 acres of new land will also be irrigated. Mohmand Dam Power House will generate 800 megawatt (MW) hydel electricity, contributing 2.86 billion units of low-cost and environment friendly hydel electricity annually to the National Grid. In addition, 300 million gallons water per day will also be provided to Peshawar for drinking purpose. Annual benefits of the project have been estimated at Rs. 51.6 billion.

 

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Medics call for immediate steps to prevent disease outbreaks​

Ashfaq Yusufzai
August 28, 2022


PESHAWAR: The health department has established camps to provide emergency health relief to people in flood-hit districts amid calls by medics for the provision of clean drinking water, essential medicines and proper shelter to the disaster victims to prevent the outbreak of diseases caused by the use of contaminated water and foods.

Prof Khalid Mahmood, a former physician at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar, told Dawn that the flood-hit areas were vulnerable to the spread of cholera, typhoid, leptospirosis, hepatitis A and E, malaria, dengue fever and snake bites.

“Lack of access to safe drinking water, improper sanitation, over crowded camps and scarcity of health care services has a compounding effect after floodwater recedes. The flood also affects the food supply chain negatively leading to malnutrition and stunted growth in children,” he said.

According to Prof Mahmood, the natural disasters cannot be prevented but their impacts can be mitigated by ensuring provision of reasonable cover/housing, uninterrupted safe drinking water, nutritious and hygienic food, controlling disease vector like mosquitoes, vaccination and snake-bite prevention measures.

Health dept sets up camps to offer emergency care

CEO of the Health Net Hospital Prof Syed Amjad Taqweem said the people in the calamity-hit areas were at the risk of being bitten by animals and reptiles.

He said evacuation of patients also increased disease burden in addition to loss of health workers, infrastructure and essential drugs and supplies, so immediate steps should be taken to prevent the spread of diseases among vulnerable people.

 

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The federal government has decided to connect Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan with Motorway 14 (M-14), a project of the western alignment route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) via a 184km-long Motorway.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Monday issued a request for proposal (RFP) of consultancy services for the Feasibility Study and Detailed Design for the Construction of the Motorway from Ghulam Khan to Esa Khel Interchange (184km approx).

The project will be financed by the Federal Government through PSDP 2022-23 through separate head/allocation.
In this regard, a pre-proposal conference on the project will be held on July 19, 2022, at NHA headquarters in Islamabad while procurement will be carried out by adopting the “Single Stage Two Envelops” procedure.

The proposals complete in all respects in accordance with the instructions provided in the RFP document in sealed envelopes, which should reach on or before August 10, 2022.

Esa Khel Interchange is located over M-14 in Mianwali district of Punjab, which is in proximity to the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Between Mianwali and Ghulam Khan falls Bannu district of KP. After Torkham and Chaman, Ghulam Khan is the third most important crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has already started benefiting from Gwadar Port and the country received the first consignment of bulk cargo from the United Arab Emirates in July 2020. Ghulam Khan crossing, at the Pak-Afghan border point, is the shortest route connecting CPEC’s western route with Afghanistan, Central Asian States and beyond.


Route Map: