Day: August 4, 2020

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani olive oil producers are preparing to enter the global market as 27.5 million olive trees on more than 30,000 acres of land have been planted. The plantation extends through Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir, said a report published by Gwadar Pro on Wednesday. Pakistan has 10 million-acre suitable land for olive plantation, almost double than Spain, which is currently the largest olive oil producer in the world. With an increase in the area under cultivation, Pakistan is passing through a silent revolution in olive oil production.…

The world’s first ‘shaft hydropower plant’, with the turbine concealed in a shaft in the river bed, is now operating in Germany. This plant was built on the Loisach River in a Bavarian nature reserve. The new plant concept was developed at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and scientists say it allows fish to pass freely over the power plant on their migration downstream. TUM says: “The environmental standards for new plants are virtually impossible to fulfil in Germany and many other countries. While hydropower plants can contribute to…

Most of the inhabitants of the Thar desert can grow crops only after a downpour has transformed the arid land into lush greenery. But Allahrakhio Khoso, a 60-year-old farmer, does not need to wait for rain. In the city of Nagarparkar, in the shadow of the Karoonjhar mountains, Khoso has made an orchard in the desert a reality by using matkas or pitchers — an everyday object more commonly found in the home than in the field. After eight years, Khoso has 400 berry trees, 70 lemon trees, three mango trees and…

ISLAMABAD: As the power sector is plagued with poor governance on account of electricity theft and rampant corruption, the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) has given directives for expediting reforms in the sector to make it stable and sustainable. In its meeting on Thursday, the cabinet body on energy, in addition to reviewing the implementation status of decisions taken, also reviewed the decision on governance reforms. The government is implementing a power sector reform plan covering various areas which include realigning generation costs, privatisation of distribution system, governance reforms in…