Catastrophic floods devastate Pakistan with death toll nearly 1300, hundreds of thousands of people are living in relief camps

The flood situation in Pakistan is grim. Death toll is nearly 1,300 even as relief operations continue. Humanitarian aid in the form of basic necessities like food, shelter, medicines are the need of the hour. Aid has started to flow in from a number of countries. The first such assistance flight from France has landed in Islamabad. Innumerable number of people are forced to live in relief camps across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab. Agencies of the government as well as private NGOs are continuing with their relief operations. These are described as a "humanitarian disaster of epic proportions." Large portions of the country continue to be submerged under water. This is especially in the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh in the south. On a rough estimate, nearly 1.5 million houses have suffered damages. Moreover, a large number of livestock has perished in the floods. 1,300 Dead In Pakistan's Devastating Floods, Over 5 Lakh Displaced.

Initial estimate of the damages have been put at USD 10 billion. However, international organizations are carrying out surveys. More than 700,000 families have received a lump some cash relief (per family). An amount of ₹ 18.25 billion has been already been disbursed on this account. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went to a social media platform and wrote - "Despite challenges, Benazir Income Support Programme rolled out its operations within no time.” The authorities have called on the international community to support Pakistan. They have also assured the nation that the government would try to bring back normalcy at the earliest. The floods have drowned nearly a third of the country and affected more than 33 million people. The natural calamity came after four heatwaves and multiple raging forest fires. These highlight the effects of climate change in this part of Asia.

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Rajasthan education minister, an engineering graduate, says cows breathe in and out oxygen

Rajasthan education minister Vasudev Devnani, an engineer no less, has mentioned that cows breathe in and out oxygen. He was speaking about the "scientific importance" of cow dung at the Hingonia Cow Rehabilitation Centre and made these comments.
This is contrary to what science says. A UN Food and Agricultural Organisation study titled Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, released in 2006, says that livestock contribute more to the greenhouse gases that cause global warming than cars.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 January 2017.

Apart from saying that cows not only inhale oxygen, they also emit it, he went on to mention about the anti-radioactivity properties of cow dung - he did not provide any explanation for what he said.
Incidentally, Sardar Singh, a former head of the physics department at Rajasthan University in Jaipur has said that iron, lead, concrete, etc., is required for absorbing radioactive material, but cow dung contains light elements like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous.
The minister also indicated that during ploughing, a cow adds urine and dung to the field - these act as fertiliser. And - one cow could produce enough excreta to make seven acres of land fertile, its urine could protect 100 acres of land from insecticides.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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