IT is not every day that you come across a Pakistani scientist who has worked for the United States space agency Nasa. A noted physicist who has taught and trained thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians, Dr Bashir A. Syed was here in Pakistan recently.
Now in his late sixties, he is as alert and active as he was in his younger years. He travels the world over to give lectures and make presentations on harnessing renewable energy resources and designing solar, wind and water energy projects.
Bashir Syed is vice-president, R&D, EnerTech Enterprises based in Houston, USA. He is a well-known physicist who has worked for Nasa and other research organizations for decades.
An alumnus of the DJ Sindh Government Science College, he taught there when Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan was a student.
In the United States he attended some of the most prestigious universities. He has been a Fulbright scholar, and a Nasa scholar. His first job was with the Rockwell International Science Centre where he worked on Support US-EPA Contract for Air Pollution Monitoring through Remote Sites.
He also worked for Control Data Corporation where he trained engineers in mainframes/miniframes and digital computer design. Then he joined General Electric where he was involved in microelectronics (design and fabrication of CMOS-SOS ICs, Ga-As monololithic), microwave ICs (MMICs), EW systems, phased array antenna design, optronics, and formulation of a military standard (MIL-Perf-38535) for procurement of ICs, SPICE Commitee and NSRE Commitee.
Bashir Syed has also worked for Nasa support corporations such as Ford Aerospace, Loral Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Science Applications International Corporation. All of them support International Space Station, the space shuttle, manned space programme for Mars, Deep Space Probes, etc.
During his stay in Karachi, Dawn Sci-tech World talked to him. When asked how he got involved in the Nasa work, Syed said that "in 1989 General Electric where I worked decided that they no longer wanted to be in military business, and laid off scientist and technicians engaged in that field. One day, I received a call from a Nasa contractor and was offered a job. It was to support the building of International Space Station."
Syed played a major role in the project from the design phase till the construction phase. He also participated in the Space Shuttle Modification Programme "since the shuttle had developed some faults and the system had become very old."
An interesting project Syed worked on was development of the space probes. Since he is a specialist on cosmic radiation, he was in charge of space radiation effects on the space ship and its components.
"As you can understand, the equipment sent out in the space is badly damaged because of the radiation to which it is exposed. This radiation comes from the sun as well as cosmic rays. My job was to teach the engineers how to mitigate these effects so that this problem does not occur and if it does, how to rectify it."
Syed was also a member of the radiation safety committee which not only took care of the instruments and gadgets exposed to radiation but also effects of radiation on engineers and technicians who handled them.
He got retired in September 2002 but before his retirement did some research in recently emerging microtechnology, especially the carbon nanotubes.
"The carbon nanotubes are much stronger than Kapton, the material used in bulletproof vests.
Equipped with the knowledge that he gained from his job with the space programmes, he launched a business with three colleagues. His company provides ways to harness solar and wind energies. It is engaged in designing solar energy panels and working on projects related to solar heating as well as cooling systems.
"Right now we are involved in two major projects: one is on a small island off the coast of Tanzania where there is no electricity. They have asked us to prepare feasibility study that would eventually help in setting up a wind farming order to provide electricity to a stadium.
"We are also working on another island in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia. Over there too we have been asked to set up a wind farm."
He believes that wind farms and solar energy are the right solutions to meet the power needs in Pakistan.
"There are two reasons for that. One is that by relying on fossil fuels we are increasing atmospheric pollution globally. As a result, earth warming is taking place. This is no fiction any more but a reality. In order to minimize that effect Pakistan has been given at least 20 million dollars from the United Nations Environmental Fund under the Kyoto Protocol.
"In addition, the Asian Development Bank has given funds to Pakistan to interdict renewable energy technologies. Moreover, fossil fuels are depleting and becoming more and more expensive.
"On the other hand, we have natural energy sources that are recyclable all the year round. For instance, the sun is always there five to eight hours a day. Of course at some places the sun is more suitable while at others the wind is the right choice.
"We are preparing feasibility studies in coastal areas such as Karachi and Gwadar where there is a lot of wind. At these places, big windmills can be set up successfully. At others, where the wind velocity is low, small wind mills should be set up to meet specific needs. A big windmill can generate three to four megawatts of energy."
Can you estimate how big a windfarm would be needed to meet the power needs of a city the size of Karachi?
"Karachi's electric supply cannot be entirely met with wind energy. The city already has fossil fuel power plants as well a nuclear power plant. The Alternate Energy Board in Islamabad has estimated that almost ten per cent of Karachi's electrical energy needs can be met with renewable energy sources."
Is it viable to use wave energy or geothermal energy for electric power supply?
"The wind energy and geothermal energy can be harnessed with very advanced technologies which are available only in developed countries.
"As for solar energy, it would be astounding to know that the Earth receives as much energy from the sun in one day which would suffice the needs for all the inhabitants of the planet for seven days.
"Solar cell technology is changing so rapidly that silicon solar cells which are most expensive to produce are being replaced by copper cells whose technology is being developed in France. Although the solar cells produced from copper only have a ten-year life, the difference in cost is considerable."
About the ongoing debate on whether Pakistan needs big or small dams, Syed said: "You don't have to build huge dams and can rely on small dams wherever there are waterfalls. The technology is called micro-hydroelectric technology. This type of dams have been built successfully in China."
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ecological disaster in the Arabian Sea
THE Clifton beach, a favourite recreational spot along the Arabian Sea coastline in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, wore a deserted look back in late 2003 when thousands of tons of crude oil from the grounded ship MT Tasman Spirit cover the sea and the sand.
The stench and the noxious vapours, which caused headache and nausea, have forced many residents of the seaside apartments and bungalows to move to safer localities. The dead fish and turtles that littered the beach have been removed on war footing by paramilitary forces and municipal workers but the place is still silent like a graveyard. No children play here, no people stroll and jog as they did prior to the disastrous oil spill. Karachi port authorities have threatened to fine the owners of the vessel a mere 10 million rupees (US$173,000).
Environmentalists warned that the crude oil contains toxic compounds that are harmful to all living beings and environment. Its vapours cause irritation of the eyes, burning of the skin and inflammation of the respiratory tract. It also harms the vital organs and body systems. The elderly and the children are the most affected.
The oil film on the water surface limits entry of sunlight, hampering photosynthesis in sea vegetation. It also acts as a barrier between atmospheric oxygen and the life underwater, causing marine life to suffocate and die. The chemicals in the oil react with the water, changing its natural composition and making it harmful to life — first affecting the primary marine life forms and then gradually the secondary and higher marine life forms. The entire food chain is affected. Contaminated microscopic organisms are consumed by small marine life forms like the krill which, in turn, are eaten by small fish on which the big fish dine. At the top of the food chain are humans who take the fish and the poultry, which is fed the feed containing dried, contaminated fish waste.
Director of the IUCN’s Coastal Ecosystem Tahir Qureshi said 16 kilometers of the Arabian Sea coast has already been polluted. “This is an ecological, environmental and economic disaster,” he said. Unfortunately, “The radius of oil-affected area in the sea is widening and may hit the western coast as well,” he added.
He further said, “Coastal areas west of Karachi, which are the seasonal breeding grounds of the rare Green and Olive Ridley turtles, are in danger of being affected by the dark, oily sludge.”
He also pointed out that a few years back, two oil spills near the Port Qasim had badly affected mangrove forests in a vast area. The oil film on the aerial root system of the mangroves eventually kills the trees, he said.
Mangroves, as we all know, are the breeding grounds of commercially important species like prawns, shrimps and crabs. As a consequence to the oil spill, mangrove trees will ultimately wither and die, and the production of these sea food species will dwindle.
Deputy Director-General of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Dr Ejaz Ahmad also spoke to Dawn in this regard. He said that since the breeding season of several marine life species had just ended, and that of some others was still in process, the young ones of marine species, and the newly laid eggs, will definitely be harmed by the oil spill.
Dr Ahmad said the waterfowl would also be affected by the oil spill because they have to dive through, or dip in, the oily water surface to catch fish. Doing this would put a coating of oil on their wings and feathers, rendering them unable to fly. The oil would also wash off their waterproof coating, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia, one of the main causes of their death.
Dr Ahmad informed that oil passes through egg shell, killing the embryo. It damaged the eyes of aquatic mammals and turtles, and also destroyed the immune system as well as vital organs of the animals.
Official inaction
Although Pakistani officials are well known for their inaction and complacency at the times of disasters, this time they outdid themselves. They tried their best to hide the utter incompetence with which they dealt with the crisis but the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are now fitting in one by one to reveal the total picture. Now they will have to answer some tough questions. For instance:
1. Why did the state-run Pakistan National Shipping Corporation hire a rickety old tub like MT Tasman Spirit, which was banned by the United States and the European Union from entering their waters?
2. Why didn’t the Karachi Port Trust authorities keep the harbour channel properly dredged to keep it open?
3. Why did the authorities linger on for ten days before they came up with an action plan?
4. What was the purpose of underplaying the disaster?
5. Why did the KPT underestimate the harm done, announcing that they would ask the owners for a mere US$173,100 towards damages.
6. Why was a single small tug was put to the task of refloating the ship when four more powerful ones were available.
7. It is a known fact that at the time the ship entered the channel, and struck the unmarked shallow patch, it was in the control of a licensed Pakistani pilot, not of the Greek skipper.
It is strange how the authorities, including the Sindh Environmental Protection Authority, kept harping that no harm was done to the ecology. They need to be reminded that when the US oil tanker Exxon Valdez went down in March 24, 1989, some 38,800 metric tonnes of oil was spilled, and about 2.1 billion dollars were spent to clean up the spill. Though no life was lost in the incident, the human and natural losses — to fisheries, livelihoods, tourism and wildlife — were immense. The most important loss was those tourists who will never visit the place because even after 14 years the oil still lingers.
The stench and the noxious vapours, which caused headache and nausea, have forced many residents of the seaside apartments and bungalows to move to safer localities. The dead fish and turtles that littered the beach have been removed on war footing by paramilitary forces and municipal workers but the place is still silent like a graveyard. No children play here, no people stroll and jog as they did prior to the disastrous oil spill. Karachi port authorities have threatened to fine the owners of the vessel a mere 10 million rupees (US$173,000).
Environmentalists warned that the crude oil contains toxic compounds that are harmful to all living beings and environment. Its vapours cause irritation of the eyes, burning of the skin and inflammation of the respiratory tract. It also harms the vital organs and body systems. The elderly and the children are the most affected.
The oil film on the water surface limits entry of sunlight, hampering photosynthesis in sea vegetation. It also acts as a barrier between atmospheric oxygen and the life underwater, causing marine life to suffocate and die. The chemicals in the oil react with the water, changing its natural composition and making it harmful to life — first affecting the primary marine life forms and then gradually the secondary and higher marine life forms. The entire food chain is affected. Contaminated microscopic organisms are consumed by small marine life forms like the krill which, in turn, are eaten by small fish on which the big fish dine. At the top of the food chain are humans who take the fish and the poultry, which is fed the feed containing dried, contaminated fish waste.
Director of the IUCN’s Coastal Ecosystem Tahir Qureshi said 16 kilometers of the Arabian Sea coast has already been polluted. “This is an ecological, environmental and economic disaster,” he said. Unfortunately, “The radius of oil-affected area in the sea is widening and may hit the western coast as well,” he added.
He further said, “Coastal areas west of Karachi, which are the seasonal breeding grounds of the rare Green and Olive Ridley turtles, are in danger of being affected by the dark, oily sludge.”
He also pointed out that a few years back, two oil spills near the Port Qasim had badly affected mangrove forests in a vast area. The oil film on the aerial root system of the mangroves eventually kills the trees, he said.
Mangroves, as we all know, are the breeding grounds of commercially important species like prawns, shrimps and crabs. As a consequence to the oil spill, mangrove trees will ultimately wither and die, and the production of these sea food species will dwindle.
Deputy Director-General of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Dr Ejaz Ahmad also spoke to Dawn in this regard. He said that since the breeding season of several marine life species had just ended, and that of some others was still in process, the young ones of marine species, and the newly laid eggs, will definitely be harmed by the oil spill.
Dr Ahmad said the waterfowl would also be affected by the oil spill because they have to dive through, or dip in, the oily water surface to catch fish. Doing this would put a coating of oil on their wings and feathers, rendering them unable to fly. The oil would also wash off their waterproof coating, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia, one of the main causes of their death.
Dr Ahmad informed that oil passes through egg shell, killing the embryo. It damaged the eyes of aquatic mammals and turtles, and also destroyed the immune system as well as vital organs of the animals.
Official inaction
Although Pakistani officials are well known for their inaction and complacency at the times of disasters, this time they outdid themselves. They tried their best to hide the utter incompetence with which they dealt with the crisis but the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are now fitting in one by one to reveal the total picture. Now they will have to answer some tough questions. For instance:
1. Why did the state-run Pakistan National Shipping Corporation hire a rickety old tub like MT Tasman Spirit, which was banned by the United States and the European Union from entering their waters?
2. Why didn’t the Karachi Port Trust authorities keep the harbour channel properly dredged to keep it open?
3. Why did the authorities linger on for ten days before they came up with an action plan?
4. What was the purpose of underplaying the disaster?
5. Why did the KPT underestimate the harm done, announcing that they would ask the owners for a mere US$173,100 towards damages.
6. Why was a single small tug was put to the task of refloating the ship when four more powerful ones were available.
7. It is a known fact that at the time the ship entered the channel, and struck the unmarked shallow patch, it was in the control of a licensed Pakistani pilot, not of the Greek skipper.
It is strange how the authorities, including the Sindh Environmental Protection Authority, kept harping that no harm was done to the ecology. They need to be reminded that when the US oil tanker Exxon Valdez went down in March 24, 1989, some 38,800 metric tonnes of oil was spilled, and about 2.1 billion dollars were spent to clean up the spill. Though no life was lost in the incident, the human and natural losses — to fisheries, livelihoods, tourism and wildlife — were immense. The most important loss was those tourists who will never visit the place because even after 14 years the oil still lingers.
Bottled drink labels should disclose more
On August 5, 2003, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) took India by storm as it released its report on pesticide residues in soft drinks. Bottling companies cried 'Murder', raising doubts about the report on multiple counts, even accusing CSE of hatching a plot to destroy Indian industry, weaken Indian trade, and destroy its competitive edge.
A 15-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was set up on August 22 to look into CSE's credentials and investigate the issue of pesticides in cold drinks. The terms of reference of the JPC on "pesticide residues in and safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages" were:
1. Whether the recent findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) regarding pesticide residues in soft drinks are correct or not; and
2. To suggest criteria for evolving suitable safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages where water is the main constituent. This was only the fourth JPC in the history of independent India, and the first one on issues concerning health and safety of consumers in India.
The JPC findings supported CSE's case and the committee recommended some far-reaching changes in food safety norms and their implementation. The findings of the JPC brought into focus issues and concerns in food safety and pesticide contamination that demand urgent understanding, reportage and public debate.
Everyone involved was horrified to notice that almost no regulations existed on this issue of vital importance; and wherever they existed, they were extremely lax. The government had done almost nothing to protect public health, and the industry had made the most of this sorry business.
They studied the norms in practice worldwide and understood how the world defined safety of pesticide usage, and how the rules were implemented, and decided they could do the same in India.
Eventually, Indian government issued a notification revising the standards for pesticide residues in bottled water on July 18, 2003. The notification was issued after receiving reports and recommendations of committees set up to examine the CSE report as well as comments from industry on the proposed standards.
Indian Minister of Consumer Affairs Sharad Yadav informed the Parliament that "taking cognizance of the study conducted by CSE...an emergency meeting of the relevant sectional committees was called ... to discuss the matter and consider amendment in the standards."
The Minister of Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi wrote to the prime minister that scientist in his department had studies the CSE report on pesticide residues in bottled water in detail and found "considerable merit" in its findings.
As a result, the new bottled water standards were announced and came into effect January 1, 2004. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notification, February 18, 2003; notified on July 18, 2004, "(i) Pesticide residue considered individually: 0.0001mg/litre (pm); and (ii) Total pesticide residues: 0.0005mg/litre (ppm)." It also notified that a total of 32 pesticides should be screened and analyzed by an accredited laboratory, using internationally established test methods.
On August 4 this year, CSE invited journalists from the Saarc countries to a two-day South Asian Workshop on Food Safety and Pesticide Contamination. The participants included scientists, researchers, politicians, regulators, consumer rights activists and media professionals.
They discussed the issues and concerns in food safety and pesticide contamination and the implications of the JPC's recommendations. They also debated the future course and other related questions.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an NGO which aims to increase public awareness on science, technology, environment and development. Specializing in sustainable natural resource management, it promotes solutions for environmental threats of 'ecological poverty', land degradation, and growing toxic degradation of uncontrolled industrialization.
Speaking to Dawn, CSE's Sunita Narain said, "CSE was started in 1980 by Anil Agarwal who was an engineer-turned-journalist. He strongly believed there was a need for an institution that could bring the best of journalism, with its timeliness, with its attention to the concerns of today, and interacting with the academia."
She explained, "It seems that journalists do not have time to get into the depth of an issue. Such was not the case even 20 years ago. Today they appear to be are reporting just an event; they do not have the time to understand the process behind it. So, Anil set up CSE as an institution which would do what was required.
"He wanted to start a book called "The State of India's Environment Report". It was merely an idea at that stage and few people understood the issues of environment. The first report came in 1982, and it change the way Indians looked at their environment."
Sunita explained, "Environment is a very delicate issue. The people who cared about the tigers were the people who were ex- shikaris, and had become wildlife lovers.
I mean to say that the perception was that one can care about the environment issues after one becomes rich. But environment is not about a poor country. Anil's book changed this perception tremendously because it argued that the issue of the environment was even more important for a poor country.
In a country like India, you had also to care about your local resources because people literally survive on those resources. Here, survival of the humans was the issue."
About the new law on pesticides in bottled drinks, she said, "It may take from one to two years for the law to be implemented fully. Now it is for CSE to watch if it is being done in its true spirit because the common people do not know much about the policies the government frames."
Media professionals at the two-day workshop on food safety and pesticide contamination shared information on the conditions in their respective countries. They agreed that there was an urgent need for the parliaments' to form joint committees to ponder over this issue of vital importance, and pass appropriate laws to safeguard the health and life of the consumers.
It is pertinent to note that in the Third World countries like Pakistan, the water piped into homes carries lethal disease- causing bacteria and poisonous chemical contaminants while the so-called legislators as well as the local government officials look the other way.
A 15-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was set up on August 22 to look into CSE's credentials and investigate the issue of pesticides in cold drinks. The terms of reference of the JPC on "pesticide residues in and safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages" were:
1. Whether the recent findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) regarding pesticide residues in soft drinks are correct or not; and
2. To suggest criteria for evolving suitable safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages where water is the main constituent. This was only the fourth JPC in the history of independent India, and the first one on issues concerning health and safety of consumers in India.
The JPC findings supported CSE's case and the committee recommended some far-reaching changes in food safety norms and their implementation. The findings of the JPC brought into focus issues and concerns in food safety and pesticide contamination that demand urgent understanding, reportage and public debate.
Everyone involved was horrified to notice that almost no regulations existed on this issue of vital importance; and wherever they existed, they were extremely lax. The government had done almost nothing to protect public health, and the industry had made the most of this sorry business.
They studied the norms in practice worldwide and understood how the world defined safety of pesticide usage, and how the rules were implemented, and decided they could do the same in India.
Eventually, Indian government issued a notification revising the standards for pesticide residues in bottled water on July 18, 2003. The notification was issued after receiving reports and recommendations of committees set up to examine the CSE report as well as comments from industry on the proposed standards.
Indian Minister of Consumer Affairs Sharad Yadav informed the Parliament that "taking cognizance of the study conducted by CSE...an emergency meeting of the relevant sectional committees was called ... to discuss the matter and consider amendment in the standards."
The Minister of Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi wrote to the prime minister that scientist in his department had studies the CSE report on pesticide residues in bottled water in detail and found "considerable merit" in its findings.
As a result, the new bottled water standards were announced and came into effect January 1, 2004. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notification, February 18, 2003; notified on July 18, 2004, "(i) Pesticide residue considered individually: 0.0001mg/litre (pm); and (ii) Total pesticide residues: 0.0005mg/litre (ppm)." It also notified that a total of 32 pesticides should be screened and analyzed by an accredited laboratory, using internationally established test methods.
On August 4 this year, CSE invited journalists from the Saarc countries to a two-day South Asian Workshop on Food Safety and Pesticide Contamination. The participants included scientists, researchers, politicians, regulators, consumer rights activists and media professionals.
They discussed the issues and concerns in food safety and pesticide contamination and the implications of the JPC's recommendations. They also debated the future course and other related questions.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an NGO which aims to increase public awareness on science, technology, environment and development. Specializing in sustainable natural resource management, it promotes solutions for environmental threats of 'ecological poverty', land degradation, and growing toxic degradation of uncontrolled industrialization.
Speaking to Dawn, CSE's Sunita Narain said, "CSE was started in 1980 by Anil Agarwal who was an engineer-turned-journalist. He strongly believed there was a need for an institution that could bring the best of journalism, with its timeliness, with its attention to the concerns of today, and interacting with the academia."
She explained, "It seems that journalists do not have time to get into the depth of an issue. Such was not the case even 20 years ago. Today they appear to be are reporting just an event; they do not have the time to understand the process behind it. So, Anil set up CSE as an institution which would do what was required.
"He wanted to start a book called "The State of India's Environment Report". It was merely an idea at that stage and few people understood the issues of environment. The first report came in 1982, and it change the way Indians looked at their environment."
Sunita explained, "Environment is a very delicate issue. The people who cared about the tigers were the people who were ex- shikaris, and had become wildlife lovers.
I mean to say that the perception was that one can care about the environment issues after one becomes rich. But environment is not about a poor country. Anil's book changed this perception tremendously because it argued that the issue of the environment was even more important for a poor country.
In a country like India, you had also to care about your local resources because people literally survive on those resources. Here, survival of the humans was the issue."
About the new law on pesticides in bottled drinks, she said, "It may take from one to two years for the law to be implemented fully. Now it is for CSE to watch if it is being done in its true spirit because the common people do not know much about the policies the government frames."
Media professionals at the two-day workshop on food safety and pesticide contamination shared information on the conditions in their respective countries. They agreed that there was an urgent need for the parliaments' to form joint committees to ponder over this issue of vital importance, and pass appropriate laws to safeguard the health and life of the consumers.
It is pertinent to note that in the Third World countries like Pakistan, the water piped into homes carries lethal disease- causing bacteria and poisonous chemical contaminants while the so-called legislators as well as the local government officials look the other way.
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