Chemicals, Vegetable Ghee and Cooking Oils

The vegetable ghee and cooking oil industry has registered a record increase to makeup for the shortage of ghee produced from milk. This shortage occurred because of the rising standard of living and the increasing population. From a production of 4000 tonnes in 1949-50, it rose to 695000 tonnes in 1999-2000.The main raw material of the vegetable ghee and cooking oil industry is edible oil, which is not available in sufficient...

Woolen Textile

With only one small woolen mill and a number of cottage industries, Pakistan produced a small quantity of blankets, carpets, shawls and tweeds at partition. Initially Pakistan had to import Rs 30 million worth of worsted and woolen goods annually.Today, more than 70 medium sized and small sized units operate throughout the country. Pakistan has become self sufficient in hosiery, shawls and carpets. However, in comparison to the...

Towels, Hosiery and Canvas

Towels are an important product of the power looms. There are 6500 looms 1999-2000 in the country making towels. The local consumption of towels is not known, the export of towels to the United States (the largest consumer), other Muslim nations, Western Europe and China has registered a substantial increase.The export of towels will mostly likely not rise further because quota restrictions and competition from better quality...

Cotton Textile

The cotton textile industry is the largest industry in Pakistan, providing employment to 38 percent of the industrial labor force and contributing the largest share to GNP from the industrial sector. it is passing through a difficult period at the moment, it will always have an important role play in industry because Pakistan has an abundance of raw cotton, a large local market and a big labor force.The cotton textile industry...

Industrial Use of Water

All industries require water, some industries like dyeing, tanning, printing, iron and steel, consume more water than others. In areas where the rainfall is relatively high like the northern parts of the country or where there are large rivers, access to water resources is fairly easy. Places like Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad, and other have adequate water for industrial uses. Industries located in low rainfall areas like Sindh...

Industrial Policy and Development

In 1972, the government of Pakistan changed its industrial policy by adopting the principle of the mixed economy. Under this policy, the industrial units of ten basic categories were nationalized, namely1- Iron and steel2- basic metal3-heavy engineering4-heavy electrical5-the assembly and manufacture of motor vehicles6-the assembly and manufacture of tractors7-heavy and basic chemicals8-petrochemicals9-cement10-public utilities...

Industries

Pakistan begin with a weak industrial base, In the early years, industrial growth took place rapidly. With the nationalization of industries in 1972, however, industrial growth began to fall. Again, a spurt in the 1980s was followed by a slack period in the 1990s. This trend can be seen in the share of industries in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well in the low industrial employment and slow industrial growth rate. The...

Rural Electrification

In 1960, the government gave serious thoughts to the problem of rural electrification. Before that, only about 600 villages, out of a total of 45000, had electricity and none in Balochistan and Sindh. By 1999-2000, about 70000 villages had electricity, which meant that about 55 percent of all villages were electrified.The installation of electricity operated tube wells for irrigation and the control of waterlogging and salinity...

Solar Power and Biogas

Pakistan has an abundance of sunshine throughout the year. The length of the shortest day of the year in Pakistan is about 9.5 hours. Even during the rainy season, there are very few cloudy days with continues periods of cloudy days extremely rare.The conditions in Pakistan are ideal for the development of solar energy. However, its economic, technical and organizational problems are not easy to solve. The generation of electricity...

Thermal Power

Most of the electricity in the country is produced by thermal power plants. In 1999-2000, their contribution to total energy production was 70 percent. Thermal plants have acquired this lead since 1988-9. Previously, hydel plants were the largest source of electricity.Unlike the hydel plants, which are concentrated in northern Punjab and the NWFP, the thermal plants are well distributed throughout the country. The main center...

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is an important source of energy in Pakistan. Most of the hydel plants in Pakistan are located on the rivers in the Mountainous North where the rugged topography provides a good head for the generation of electricity. A good head means that the water falls from a sufficient height on the turbine, making it turn. A regular flow of water is also essential to ensure the year round generation of electricity. Unfortunately,...

Electricity

At Independence, Pakistan's installed electric capacity was below local requirements. Some electricity was imported from India, but from the outset efforts were made to develop local sources of electricity. It was only after the development of the Rasul Hydel Plant in 1952 that it was possible to stop importing power from India.There has been a rapid increase in the amount of electricity generated in Pakistan. The increase is...

Natural Gas

The search for oil in Pakistan resulted in the accidental discovery In 1952 of a gas field at Sui, Balochistan. Since then, a number of gas fields have been discovered in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab, and gas production has registered a steady increase. In 1999-2000, the total natural gas output was 23159 million cubic meters, 5.6 times what it was in 1971.Natural Gas is the second largest source of energy in Pakistan if imported...

Oilfields and Oil Refineries

There are two main oil production regions in Pakistan.1-Lower Sindh2-the Northern RegionBoth of these regions have several oilfields. All the oilfields in Pakistan are fairly small in size, and several of them have already been depleted. Unless new fields are discovered and exploited in the near future, oil production in Pakistan will dwindle. At present, the Lower Sindh Oilfields produce more than 60 percent of the total petroleum...

Petroleum, Consumptio and Production of Petroleum

The geological conditions in certain parts of Pakistan are favorable for the formation and extraction of oil. Extensive areas are covered with marine sedimentary rocks, which are conducive to oil formation. Encouraged by this, the search for oil began in the 1860s and is still underway. In 1961, the Oil and Gas Development Corporation was setup up to organize and undertake the exploitation, development, production, refining and...

Power Resources

Pakistan's energy consumption, as compared to most countries, is low. Pakistan consumes 10 times less energy than the world average and about 80 times less than the United States. However, the per capita consumption has risen from 0.26 TOE (Tonnes oil equivalent) in 1991-2 to 0.31 in 1997-8. Despite the low consumption of energy, Pakistan is not self sufficient in power resources. A certain quantity has to be imported.The main...

Clays

Clays, largely composed of hydrous aluminium silicate minerals, are fine grained and can be moulded when wet. There are many different types of clays, In Pakistan the important industrial clays are china clay, fuller's earth and betonite.China ClayChina clay or kaolin is used in the manufacture of protein and special types of cement. It is also used as a filler in rubber and paper and as coating.The largest deposits of china...

Marble

Marble s used as a decorative stone in buildings. Pakistan has a fairly large reserve of marble in different colors and some can compete with the best quality marble with in the world. The Mullagori deposits in the Khyber Agency are renowned for their high quality. White Mullagori marble is comparable to the famous marble of carrara in Italy and Malirana in Indai. White marble is also found at Ghundai Tarako, at the boundary of...

Mineral Resources

When Pakistan was created in 1947, only few minerals were known to exist in the country. Since then, particularly with the help of the Geological Survey of Pakistan and similar organizations, the presence of other minerals has been confirmed. Despite these findings, there are only about 25 percent to 30 major minerals in Pakistan. In some cases, the quantity and quality of these minerals has not been ascertained, particularly...

A History of Land Tenure in the Subcontinent

Land tenure is the legal or customary relationship between the landowner, tenant or cultivator who has an interest in the land. The owner cultivator has a special bond with the land and takes good care of it. The tenant cultivator, on the other hand, is more interested in the productivity of the land, even if the quality of the land is affected in the process.Land tenure has a direct relationship with agricultural practice and...

Mechanization

Agriculture in Pakistan is largely dependent upon traditional implements. Wooden ploughs and iron sickles still dominate the agricultural scene although tractors and threshers have made great headway. Meanwhile, the debate for and against mechanization continues.Low yields are a common agricultural problem in Pakistan. Some people mistakenly assume that crop yields will increase with greater mechanization. However, the application...

Plant Protection

Pests and diseases cause great damage to crops, no survey has been conduced to estimate the damage. The loss, however, is greater than 20 percent and therefore quite substantial.The solution to this problem is integrated pest management. This includes.1- the planting of pest resistant varieties of crops.2- the controlling and propagating of useful insects and predators.3- the application of pesticides.4 the removal of weeds...

Fertilizer

The use of manure for increasing soil fertility has been known since antviquity and has been practiced in the Pakistan region for centuries. Cow dung, oil cakes and compost are traditional manures but are only available in limited amounts because a large quantity of cow dung is burnt as fuel and oil cake is too costly to be used as fertilizer. As a result, farmers use chemical fertilizers.In 1951-2, chemical fertilizers were virtually...

The Dams

The two storage dams which were to be built as part of the Indus Water Treaty were at Tarbela and Mangla. Now complete, the Tarbela Dam is located on the Indus near Tarbela about 47 kilometers upstream from Attock. It is a multi purspose project designed to store 11.0 million acre feet of water and o generate 2.1 million kilowatts of electricity. It irrigates part of the Potwar Plateau, but its main function is to supply water...

The Indus Water Treaty

In 1947, when Pakistan was created, the province of Punjab was divided. Part of it was given to India and part to Pakistan. The headworks at Madhopur on the Ravi and at Firozpur on the Sutlej were in India, but many of the canals that branched off from them were irrigating agricultural lands of the newly founded Pakistan.A number of committees were constituted to deal with the problems that resulted from the division of Punjab....

Inundated Canals

This region has a long history of irrigation canals. In the mid 14th century, Firoz Shah Tughluq dug inundated canals in India for the spread of colonization. They were laid out in this area up to the middle of the 19th century. These canals were seasonal and supplied water to the fields in the summer when the donor rivers were in flood, so that they were beneficial for kharif crops. The rabi crops took advantage of the moisture...

Irrigation Methods

In Pakistan, because water is scarce, irrigation has become a necessity. Both groundwater and surface water is used for irrigation. Wells, tube wells and karez tap the groundwater. Canals, diversion canals and sailaba irrigation through flood water are used to rechannel the surface water flowing into streams.Canals alone account for about 80 percent of irrigation, followed by tube wells at 17 percent. Only 2 percent of the irrigated...

Irrigation

The use of irrigation to combat aridity is an old tradition in this region. Beginning with simple lift irrigation, Pakistan has developed one of the most intricate and complex system of canal irrigation in the world. The development of agriculture in Pakistan is largely dependent on irrigation. More than 80 percent of the total cropped area is under irrigation.Rainfall is a critical factor in the growth of crops, particularly...

Oil Seeds

Oil seeds are used in making the vegetable ghee that is used in cooking and for animal fodder. Oil seeds are also put to industrial use. A number of different oil seeds are gown in Pakistan, the most important of which is the cotton seed, which accounts for 60 percent of total oil seed production.Traditionally, the most important oil seeds produced in Pakistan are rape and mustard. These are grown so widely throughout the country...

Pulses

Pulses constitute an important source of protein for most Pakistanis, the country is still deficient in them. Every year, a considerable amount of pulses have to be imported from abroad. In 1997-8 for example, about 1.2 million tonnes of pulses costing a total of Rs 1753 million had to be imported.Gram, moong, mash, masoor and peas are among the important pulses grown in Pakistan, Gram is the most important of these, accounting...

Cereals

Among the minor cereals, bajra (millet), Jowar (sorghum) and barley are grown in Pakistan. In total, their production is about 4 percent that of wheat. These cereals are eaten by poorer families and are also used as animal fodder. They are therefore known as coarse grains. With the development and expansion of the poultry industry, they have become quite important as chicken feed.Bajra, jowar and barely can be grown in poorer...

Rice, Maize Export

The export of rice recorded a phenomenal increase from Rs 274 million in 1971-2 Rs 1136 million in 1972-3. This sudden rise in rice exports was due to the secession of East, Pakistan, which used to consume the surplus rice produced by West Pakistan. In the very next year (1973-4), rice became Pakistan's leading export and continued to lead till 1983-4 when it was replaced by raw cotton, However, from time to time, rice still heads...

Agricultural land use

Because Pakistan is an agricultural country, one would expect a large area under plough. The reality , however, is otherwise only 28 percent of the total land area of the country is under cultivation. The main impediments to further agricultural expansion are arid conditions and rugged topography. Despite the obstacles, the cultivated area has increased from 147000 square kilometers in 1947-8 to 220000 square kilometers in 2000-1...

Inflation

Inflation refers to a general increase in prices and a consequent fall in the purchasing power of money. The per capita income of a nation only indicates prosperity if it is higher than the rate of inflation.In Pakistan, inflation is measured by four indices the Consumer Price Index (CPI). the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) and the Gross Domestic Product Deflator(GDP deflator). In Pakistan, the Consumer...

Per Capita Income

The per capita income is often used to measure the prosperity of a country but does not always provide an accurate picture. In Rupee terms, for example, the per capita income in Pakistan has steadily increased. It increased from Rs 396 in 1959-60 to Rs 4718 in 1999-2000. If these figures are converted into US Dollars at the then prevailing rates of exchange, the per capita income rose from US$83 in 1959-60 to US$359 in 1980-1...

Foreign Loans and Grants

Pakistan's poor economy and social structure were evident from partition. Although it aspired towards being a welfare state with a strong economy, money, planning and good governance were needed. Money in the form of loans and grants from foreign countries, agencies and banks flowed into the country.In the beginning, foreign economic assistance to Pakistan largely took the form of grants. With the passage of time, however, grants...

Economic Planning in Pakistan

In Pakistan, planning for economic development began soon after independence. In 1951, a six year Development plan was launched, followed by the first five year plan between 1955 and 1960. Since then, the country has passed through eight five year plans, except for the period between 1971 and 1978, when plans were made on an annual basis. The Eighth Five year plan ended in 1998. All of these plans had the same goals, although...

An Overview of Economy

Efforts have been made to boost Pakistan's economy since partition. Considerable progress was made between 1995 and 1970 when the government controlled only a few sectors of the economy. The rest of the economy was managed by private enterprise. In the 1970s, Nationalization became the favored policy of the government.The major industries and banks were nationalized. As the results of this nationalization were far from satisfactory,...

Lifestyle

Some specialists believe that lifestyle is a distinguished feature of villages and towns. According to them, close contact with other members of the community is a distinctive feature of rural life. The inhabitants of village, for example, usually know each other personally. In urban areas, on other hand, relationships tend to be impersonal, urban areas are so highly populated that most people do not even know who their neighbors...

Food and Nutrition

Food is a basic necessity of life. A balanced intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins constitutes the ideal diet. The body also requires other essential vitamins and minerals which can be obtained from various food sources and salt. The energy provided by food is measured in units called calories. The calories required by each individual depend upon the individuals height, weight, age and gender. On average, however, the ideal...

Health Services

Health services encompass a wide range of professionals and institutions, doctors, nurses, surgeons, dentists, hospitals, hospital beds, clinics.As the table below indicates, there were 1950 physicians in Pakistan in 1950. By 2000, this figure had risen to 91823, decreasing the number of people per doctor dramatically, whereas there was one physician per 16949 people in 1950, there was one physician per 1529 people by 2000. Between...

When compared to other nations, Pakistan ranks low in the literacy although it has madesome progress in the last 50 years. Literacy has risen from 13.2 percent in 1951 to 45 percent in 1998, but this progress is far from satisfactory. Pakistan is counted among countries with very low literacy rates. Other South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh have higher literacy rates than Pakistan.In Pakistan, there is also...

Labour Force Participation

The labor force in Pakistan is steadily increasing. From 9.8 million in1951 it rose to 37.7 million in 1998. However, the percentage of the total population in the labor force has not risen. It dropped from 30.7 percent in 1951 to 28.7 percent in 1998. This is much lower than in the 40 percent which is the world average. The fall in the labor force participation ratio in Pakistan means that for every person in the workforce, there...

Water Pollution

In cities, sewage and industrial discharge are the main source of water pollution. In larger and more industrialized cities, the problem becomes acute. The common practice in Pakistan is to let factory waste products and fluids drain into rivers or canals. In Nowshera, for example, waste from factories, the sewage system and homes is discharged into the Kabul river. Waste from Rawalpindi is discharged into Leiah Nullah, from Lahore...

Air Pollution

There are two main sources of air pollution Vehicle and stationary pollutants. Automobiles, trucks, rikshaws, aricraft and other vehicles run by internal combustion engines are responsible for releasing harmful pollutions like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and lead into the atmosphere. Stationary sources of air pollution include industrial plants, power stations, construction projects and solid wastes. These sources...

Mineral and Energy Resources

Unfortunately, Pakistan is also deficient in mineral resources, especially in metallic minerals which are often located in inaccessible and thinly populated areas. The exploitation of minerals in these remote regions cannot be undertaken easily. Pakistan is not well equipped enough economically or technologically to take on such a task.Pakistanis also at a disadvantage in the sphere of energy resources, even though per capita...

Population Growth and Resources

Pakistan has a very large population but its resources, including technology, are modest. The existing resources have not been developed to their full potential. By and large, the living standards are low. and Pakistan is still counted among the developing nations.Pakistan's population is growing at an alarming rate. It double in the 50 years between 1901 and 1951, doubled again in the 21 years between 1951 and 1972, and again...

Environmental Challenges

The Earth is our home. It provides us with sustenance and the tools of survival. Early human live on wild fruits and the raw meat of birds and animals, quenching their thirst from the first brook or stream they came across. Their live were not much different from the other animals. Today, human beings are involved in large-scale farming and the domestication of animals, building factories and flying aeroplanes. They are even conquering...

Tropical Cyclones

A tropical cyclone is a severe storm which takes place largely in South Asia, South-East Asia, Northern Australia, South America and the south-eastern part of North America. In South Asia, it is referred to as the cyclone, in South-East Asia as the typhoon, in Australia as the willy-willy, and in America as the hurricane.Although cyclones generally reach speeds of 160 to 240 kilometers per hours, some of them have attained even...

As we sow so we cut

Once upon a time there lived a jackal and a lion in a jungle. The lion used to eat one animal of the jungle daily. All the animals were very annoyed with the order of the king of the Jungle, but they were unable to do anything against the lion.One day the Jackal was to present itself before the lion. The lion was anxiously waiting for its prey but the jackal did not go to the lion. The lion was very angry and was roaring in the...

A Friend in need is a Friend Indeed

It is seen in daily life that one, who has some high port folio or wealth, is respected and loved by all, but when he is suffered from any problem or need any help from friends or relatives, almost he is not helped by any one and all the friends and relatives leave him alone.Once upon a time two friends Hamid and Kashif lived in a town They both were very fast friends and they could not live without one another. All the men praise...

Slow but Steady win the Race

Tortoise is famous for slow walking and rabbit for fast running. Once a competition of race between the two was held. They both started running to reach the finishing point. The rabbit ran as fast as possible, But the tortoise was unable to run so fast. So it continued walking towards the finishing point. In the meantime the rabbit reached far ahead of the tortoise, so it stopped beneath a tree and saw behind but there was no...

Greed is Curse

It is said that greed for gold mars the joy of life. A greedy person never gets satisfaction in any sphere of life. He always tries to get more and more. A story on this topics is given below.There was an old women who had a hen. The hen started laying golden eggs daily. The old woman was very glad to see the eggs and thought that she would be the richest person very soon. But she thought that it would take a long time if the...

Time is Money

It is said that time waits for none and those who feel the importance of time they never waste it unutilized. If one neglects the importance of time, he always remains loser and the wealth of time is lost forever.Such a story regarding importance of time is said that once there was a rich man who had two sons. He loved both of them and gave every kind of facility for passing of luxurious life and insisted both of them to get higher...

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous thing

It is said that excess of everything is bad, and it also correct that paucity in any thing is much bad and dangerous. A doctor, a physician, a philosopher, an advocate, a teacher, a scientist, need perfect knowledge in his job. If a doctor has no perfect knowledge of diagnosing treatment for a patient, it is sure that the disease will be complicated and danger of life cannot be overlooked. In the same way, if a teacher has no...

All the Glitters is not Gold

Gold is a precious metal. It has its own quality and worth. No other metal can be compared with it. It has a quality that it does not rust. It need not polish to glitter, because of it is the quality of gold that it glitters without polishing. Gold is not found in abundant hence, due to its quality and scarcity, it is a precious metal.When gold is compared with other metals, it is found that gold has more and more superiority....

A Stitch Intime save Nine

The proverb " A stitch in time saves nine," reminds us to discharge our duties in time. If we miss the proper time suitable for a work, we shall never get the time back and we shall be looser for ever. It is said that time and tide waits for none. So we should always remember the importance of time and its negative result by overlooking it.As a young, it is his duty to reserve himself for study and should not waste time in unnecessary...

A Thing Beauty is a joy for ever

The word beauty is a holy word, because of the whole beauties of the universe are the reflection of the Almighty. God says in the Holy Book. Allah is beautiful and likes beauty. So the beauties of the universe are a boon for human being and, being a creature of Allah they love beauties and always see them even through their inner eyes.The word "Beauty" is interconnected with the word Joy. A beautiful thing has so much attraction...