Q.

Ans.

Forests are our aid. We all depend upon forests directly or indirectly for survival. Forests provide
us with a wide variety of necessities. Forests prevent some of the natural calamities.
Forest is a dense land or a complex ecosystem consisting of rich biodiversity and supports a
variety of life forms. The trees control the environment of the surroundings which influences the
plants and animals living in the forest.

Advantages of forest
Forest provides us with numerous amount of things and protects us from many disasters.  Listed
below are the advantages of forest

 They help maintain oxygen levels in the atmosphere, facilitating the breathing of humans
and other animals.
 Forests help regulate the climate.
 They help the ground absorb during floods, reducing soil loss and property damage by
slowing the flow.
 Forests are of vital economic importance to humans. For example, the plantation of
forests provides humans with wood and timber, which can be exported and used in a wide
range of applications.
 Forests serve as a habitat for millions of animals.
 Forests help in the regulation of ecosystems.
 Forests help reduce certain types of pollution such as noise pollution.
 Forests provide many important natural medicines.
 Forests help to control the Earth’s temperature and combat global warming.
 The natural beauty associated with forests is valuable.
 Forests are responsible for several jobs.

Pakistan is a forest poor country where less than 6 per cent of total area is under forests. Since
most of area falls in arid and semi-arid region, low precipitation naturally deters the growth of
forests.

Every year thousands of hectares of forest is destroyed, making way for various human activities.
In areas where the forest remains, its richness and health is declining.

Population boom coupled with poverty and lack of awareness has led to illegal and unsustainable
logging, overharvesting of wood for fuel and charcoal, and increased small-scale farming that
continues to reduce the forest cover of Pakistan.  
Forest fires, natural hazards along with pests and diseases further contribute to the declining rate.
All this threatens the survival of countless species, fuels climate change, jeopardizes people’s
livelihoods and undermines the vital services that forests provide.

Forest is a complex ecosystem, a biological system with distinct and myriad interrelationships
with the living and nonliving parts of the environment.

Along with providing timber, fuelwood and fodder, it also provides ecosystem services, which
are essentially goods and services that are vital to human health and livelihood. Many of these
services like scenic landscape, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, watershed services, and
wildlife habitat are viewed as public goods that provide free benefits to the society.

However, unsustainable utilization of these public goods and services causes loss of forests and
environmental degradation.

With better protection, management and planning we can continue to benefit from forests,
without damaging the environment. We can even go further, by replanting and restoring forests
that have been destroyed or degraded, which can help combat climate, extend and reconnect
wildlife habitats, and reduce problems like flooding and erosion.

Q2.

Ans.

Pakistan is endowed with huge reserves of minerals covering an outcrop area of 600,000 sq.
Kms. There are 92 known minerals of which 52 are commercially exploited with a total
production of 68.52 million metric tons per year. The sector is a promising one with an average
growth of 2-3% per annum, existence of above 5,000 operational mines, 50,000 SMEs and direct
employment of 300,000 workers.1 Minerals are broadly classified into three categories; i)
Metallic minerals ii) Non metallic minerals, and, iii) Energy/strategic minerals”. Metallic
minerals include metalliferous ores, aluminum, chromium iron etc, non metallic mineral include
dimensional stones, clay, salt silica etc and energy/strategic minerals include, coal etc. Pakistan
has immense reserves of a number of minerals and natural resources that include coal, gold,
copper, bauxite, mineral salt, chromite, iron ore, and many others. Pakistan also mines a variety
of precious and semi-precious minerals including ruby, topaz, and emerald. Pakistan has a
comparative advantage of its mineral resources occurring in several varieties, colours and
patterns. The country has the world’s second largest salt mines and fifth largest copper and gold
reserves, and second largest coal deposits, as well as estimated billions of barrels of crude oil.
Despite huge potential, contribution of mineral sector to Pakistan’s GDP is around 3 % and
country’s exports are only about 0.1% of the world’s total. In the year 2017, Pakistan’s total
mineral exports were 0.5 Billion USD as compared to the world’s 401 Billion USD.2 The most
potential and valuable minerals of Pakistan includes; Marble, Granite, Coal, Chromite, Gypsum,
Copper, Gold, Iron Ore, Lead zinc, Bauxite, Crude oil and Natural gas. There are billions of
commercially extractable reserves of these minerals that give both comparative and competitive
advantages to Pakistan in the global perspective.

The mineral sector of Pakistan despite of having huge reserves base of good quality minerals is
still lagging far behind as compared to the world’s mineral market. As compared to the world’s
minerals export market of 3,612 billion USD, the exports of Pakistan are negligibly small with a
value of 1.17 billion USD during the last year. Pakistan is endowed with significant mineral
reserves. The country has the world’s second largest salt mines and coal reserves, fifth largest
copper and gold reserves, and second largest coal deposits, as well as an estimated 618 billion
barrels of crude oil.5 Pakistan has got huge potential for investment in the mineral sector. There
are greater opportunities for private sector and direct foreign investments in the sub sectors;
mining, processing and trading/exports. Key investment opportunities in the core minerals are as
follows; Dimension Stone: Pakistan is endowed with vast resources of dimension stones with
unique colors, patterns and occurrence. Pakistan has been endowed with extensive reserves of
marble, including rare marble varieties such as Ziarat white, black & white marble and black
granite that are world renowned. More than 40 types of natural colored marble are spread
throughout the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, Sindh, and Punjab provinces. Pakistan has an
estimated 297 billion tons of marble and granite reserves in all the four provinces, FATA, and
Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan’s annual quarry production is 3.82 million tons.6 Key potential
investment opportunities are;

Private sector led reserves estimation, mapping and analysis using scientific methods; 3D

 geo modeling and etc. Mechanized mining through modern technology diamond wire
saw/chain saw.

 Establishment of private sector led Common Facility Centers (CFCs) for

 modern/mechanized mining. Modern block cutting and finishing facility.

 State of the art slabs cutting, polishing and finishing plant.

 Modern Agglomerated marble7

 production, polishing and finishing plant.

The presence of mineral resources help a country's economy in a number of ways.

 1. When the government advertises the presence of minerals and gives incentives for
its excavation, it attracts a number of investors and companies who set up there
industries. This leads to economic generation by the investors.
2. Employment opportunities spring up and many people find jobs which overcomes
unemployment and reduces the rate of money based murders and theft and encourages
a good lifestyle as now the workers start earning money.
3. Different industries based upon the minerals spring up and the raw material or the
minerals excavated are used and thus more and cheap products are produced.this is
economically benefiting.
4. Due to these industrial outputs there is a positive flow foreign exchange in the
country.
5. GDP and BOP are stabilised.

Q3.

Ans.

Over 90% of country‟s agriculture, which is a major chunk of GDP is dependent on irrigation
system. Unluckily, irrigation system of Pakistan is in hot waters. In developing countries such as
Pakistan agriculture sector is growing Apart from the natural course of rivers several man-made
structures have been made over the years to make sure the availability of water as far as possible
and there exists a complex and comprehensive irrigation system considered to be the one of the
best designed in the history of mankind till now. The chasm between the existence of a system
and its efficient use is widening and its utility and productivity is in jeopardy. Agriculture like
some of the countries in world is backbone of economy of Pakistan and irrigation system and is
major and in some places the only source for agriculture. Fortunately like gas oil and coal
resources Pakistan is rich in fertile land and its irrigation system is considered as one of the
world largest irrigation system including Indus River one of the longest Asia. Some of major
irrigation problems in Pakistan and proposed couple of solutions for these problems also what
are the potential barriers and hindrances that preventing the authorities for having good healthy
and sustainable irrigation system. Although proposed solution have already applied somewhere
but applying them in Pakistan having difficult geopolitical situation and complex bureaucratic
problems is not easy. At least we need a practical solution to these problems as these problems
are directly related to agriculture system which drive Pakistan economy to ensure sustainable
future of Pakistan Irrigation system of Pakistan There are multiple components of Irrigation
system of Pakistan for example Rivers, canals barrages, head work‟s, dams and tube wells (on
smaller scale). Total agricultural land of Pakistan measured in 2017 by World Bank was 223850
sq.-which is fourth best in world, but unfortunately this area is shrinking because of several
factor, for example mega migration to cities, housing societies, roads and highways, and lack of
water for irrigation. History of irrigation system of Pakistan which is the one of the biggest
infrastructure accounting for several Billion USD, dates back to its birth, in 1947 when the
Indian sub-continent was divided in to two independent states, like many issues it gave birth to
water issue as well, till in 1960 with the international mediation both countries signed the “Indus
Water Treaty”. According to the terms of treaty, India was given the full exclusive use of Eastern
Rivers named as Sutlej, Bias and Ravi. And three Western rivers which are under the control of
Pakistan are Jhelum Indus and Chenab. Unfortunately it was signed back in 1960‟s that India can
water of Pakistani controlled Rivers for irrigation and power generation purposes as Pakistan is
at downstream of these rivers. Since basin of biggest Pakistani controlled river is in India, so
there is a chance that India effects on irrigation resources of Pakistan, as he did during war time
in 1965 and 1971. Irrigation sources in Pakistan There are two main sources of water in Pakistan
Surface water Indus river is major source of water in Pakistan which is subdivided into its
branches downstream known as Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej also Kabul River.165
Bm3 water comes from, Jhelum, Indus and Chenab, while Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej adds 10 Bm3
per year. Unfortunately around 12 Bm3 is wasted in system, which may include seepage and
theft etc. About 70% of total water(125/175 Bm3 ) consumed for irrigation, and rest of water
around 35 Bm3 in „wasted‟ in to Arabian Sea .Due to huge variation in rainfall duration
intensity and time, which observed in monsoon period, it is extremely difficult to plan and
mange for flood and irrigation of healthy and unhealthy rivers. One of the sources of refill is the
hill fast-moving water, also known as „torrent‟. There are about 14 different „hilly-torrents‟
having total capacity of 23436.15 Bm3 Ground water Due to huge variation in rainfall duration
intensity and time, which observed in monsoon period, it is extremely difficult to plan and
mange for flood and irrigation of healthy and unhealthy rivers. One of the sources of refill is the
hill fast-moving water, also known as „torrent‟. There are about 14 different „hilly-torrents‟
having total capacity of 23436.15 Bm3 key Facts No of Major Reservoir 3 No of Headwork‟s 16
No of Dams 2 No of interlink canals 12 No of canal system 44 No of watercourses 107,ooo
Length of canals 56,073 km Length of water courses 1.6 million km Irrigated area 36 million
acre Problems and issues of irrigation system in Pakistan Water economy is a term used in the
Pakistan agriculture as the crops are highly dependent on water and for the development and
proper functionality of this prodigious system, maintenance of existing infrastructure and new
construction is undoubtedly the need of the hour. In Pakistan capital cost for the development of
irrigation system is recovered from the user. Operation and maintenance charged are linked to
the water charges collected by the provincial governments but due to the incompetence and
malpractices of the government institutions they are not enough for what is required. The short
fall in funds is above 30% for each province. Provincial governments and federal institutions are
also responsible for the operational and maintenance. Improvement and up gradation Salinity
and water logging issues Irrigation system turning during rainy weather water pressure
issues over watering and under watering water runoff and polling Over exploitation of
fresh ground water Insufficient cost recovery Government policy Wara bandi system
Water losses in field Evaporation losses