Autumn plantation campaign at MNSUAM
An autumn plantation campaign at MNSUAM was launched by the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences in collaboration with Coca-Cola, the District Administration, and the Environment Protection Department. The event held here at MNSUAM, in which Commissioner Multan Engineer Aamir Khattak was the chief guest. On this occasion, he met the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Asif Ali (T.I.), and the higher management of the university and appreciated the environment-friendly efforts of the University. On this occasion, he formally started the plantation campaign by planting a tree. After that, while addressing the seminar, he said that plantation campaigns are going on everywhere, but the responsibility with which the University of Agriculture, Multan has planted relatively large plants and took their maintenance important is remarkable and admirable.
On this occasion, Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Asif Ali, while appreciating the efforts of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, said that the department has truly taken responsibility for the welfare of the environment. He also thanked Coca-Cola Pakistan, the Environment Protection Institute in Multan, and the Commissioner.
Later, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Department, Multan, Misbah-ul-Haq Lodhi, said that we are very happy that we are contributing to the green Pakistan vision of MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan. He especially mentioned that, thanks to the efforts of the Vice Chancellor of University, the environmentally friendly efforts of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University Multan are being appreciated not only in Pakistan but also all over the world. This is the reason that the University of Agriculture Multan has been ranked first in Pakistan and 154th worldwide in the UI Green Matrix. He stated that the plantation is only one aspect of the campaign that this institution has always supported. He thanked the Department and the University for this plantation campaign and reiterated that we will continue to work side by side to protect the environment in the same way.
After that, Prof. Dr. Tanveer ul Haq thanked the Department of Environment Protection and said that MNSUAM has always continued its efforts to protect the environment, and is treating the wastewater through constructed wetlands and biofiltration. Projects are underway to clean up practices, compost organic litter and smog-causing crop residues, and clean land, water, and air. Similarly, the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences has conducted plantation drives not only in the spring but also in the monsoon and now in the autumn. He appreciated the vision of Professor Dr. Asif Ali and said that our Vice-Chancellor has always appreciated the efforts of industry and other government agencies to work together for the environment and agriculture, and we will work together in the same way. On this occasion, faculty members of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Muhammad Nasir from Coca-Cola, Muhammad Hameer, Dr. Saima from Women's University, and a large number of students participated and planted saplings. Finally, prayers were offered for the prosperity and security of Pakistan.
A study visit to the zigzag brick kiln and protein processing unit by the students of Environmental Sciences and Climate Change
Students of Climate Change and Environmental Sciences from Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agricultural University, Multan, visited zigzag and traditional brick kilns in Multan. During this visit, the students made a detailed assessment of the impact on the environment due to the brick-making process. Apart from seeing the coal used in the brick-making process and the zigzag arrangement, the students also observed in detail the process of collecting and extracting the fumes from the kiln and collected different types of samples. On this occasion, the owner of brick kiln also informed us about the impact of the brick-making process on the environment and reiterated that we would continue to work together to protect the environment.
The students also visited the New Super Protein Processors Unit, where they saw how fish and chicken waste were being recycled to make chicken feed. On a visit to this unit, the owner and concerned people present there said that the remains of chickens and fish are collected and brought here from all over Sindh and Punjab. Here, these residues are first boiled, and after boiling, they are crushed and converted into pellets. Similarly, extraction of oil from this material is also in progress, which is again supplied to the feed mills and used to make poultry feed. On this occasion, students asked various questions and learned about different methods of disposal of organic waste. The owner of the unit said that this is the first visit of the students from the university, and we are very happy that the MNSUAM is making efforts to solve environmental and other problems in collaboration with the industry.
MNS Agriculture University, Multan, organised event on the occasion of World Soil Day 2022
Every year, December 5th is celebrated globally as "World Soil Day." The theme of this year's World Soil Day was "Soil: Where the Diet Starts." In this regard, the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at the University of Agriculture, Multan, under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Asif Ali (Tamagha Imtiaz), Vice Chancellor, organised event on the occasion of World Soil Day in which a large number of university, industry, and other schools of thought participated. attended.
On this occasion, a model and poster competition was held on the topic of “Where Food Begins” between the students of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, " On this occasion, Dr. John Rasic from JR Consulting, Australia, said that the soil is not ours, but we belong to the soil. Moreover, where they were, organic matter in our lands is negligible, due to which our land has lost its productivity. After the talk of Dr. John, the students of the Department presented a beautiful play on the theme of "Ahsan Taqweem."
While presiding over the ceremony, Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Asif Ali supported the words of Dr. John Rasic and said that soil is not only our resource but also the resource of our future generations, so we should take care of it. He further said that the purpose of celebrating such days is that we all promise that we will truly protect such resources.
Prof. Dr. Tanveer ul Haq, Chairman, Department of Environmental Sciences, informed the audience about the various projects and initiatives taken by the Department and the University in relation to soil conservation. He said that the Department has always tried to protect the environment and soil, and similarly, by building a museum of soil at the University of Multan, we will contribute more about soil problems and their solutions. Similarly, Muhammad Irshad from Fuji Fertilizer Company and Dr. Fayyaz Ahmed from the Central Research Institute for Cotton appreciated the efforts of the university for soil improvement and protection and shared their experiences related to it. On this occasion, the group of Haseeb ur Rahman, Palwasha Sajjad, and Muhammad Tariq from MSc won the first position in the poster competition, Ghanva Maqbool got the second position, and Maha Saleem and Hamna Iftikhar got the third position. On this occasion, shields were also given to position holders Shahzadi Bibi, Maha Saleem, Muhammad Adeel Akram, and Ghanva Maqbool.
In the end, Professor Dr. Irfan Ahmed Baig thanked all the guests and appreciated the efforts of the faculty and students.
World Environment Day celebrated at MNS-UAM
World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year. This day was first celebrated in 1972, and this year marks it 50th anniversary. In addition, every year a host country as well as a theme is chosen to celebrate this day, as Pakistan hosted the 2021 World Environment Day with the theme “ecosystem restoration”. The theme of the World Environment Day 2022 was "Only one earth" which indicates that we have no place to live other than this planet.
In celebration of the World Environment Day, the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences organized a seminar, and a poster/model competition in which a large number of students, faculty members, civil society, and other stakeholders participated.
For the seminar, three keynote speakers Dr. Muhammad Dawood (Associate Professor, BZU), Dr. Muhammad Tahir (Assistant Professor, COMSATS Vehari), and Mr. Misbah ul Haq Lodhi (Deputy Director, Environment Protection Department, Multan) were invited who delivered comprehensive presentations on the theme. The lectures were followed by discussions, in which students as well as audience participated actively.
The Chairman of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences on this occasion briefed that in order to mitigate the environmental pollution, the scientists at the MNS-University of Agriculture have been working tirelessly, and are developing as well as using different methods in this realm. For example, treatment of smog-causing crop residues, speeding up composting of such materials through the use of microbes, purification of wastewater by using biofilters, purification of contaminated water using constructed wetlands; and use of biofertilizers in minimizing the agrochemicals have been developed and employed in minimizing the environmental impact. He further elaborated that due to these efforts towards sustainability, the University is recognized in UI Green Metric globally as well as locally.
