Ministry of Climate Change Federal Secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif Thursday stressed importance of sustainable energy and said solution of energy crisis was the foremost priority of the government to meet future needs.
Addressing at the launching ceremony of Mehr Biogas Model at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), he emphasized that the country development was not possible without overcoming the energy issues as the industry needs a large amount of energy.
Defense Production Division former secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Shahid Iqbal, PMAS-AAUR Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, deans, directors and faculty members were present on the occasion.
The secretary informed the gathering that Ministry of Climate Change would need billions of dollars from international community for adaptation and mitigation of the climate change to reduce carbon emissions in the country by 20 per cent.
He urged the faculty members to come forward to help improve the climate and offered to compete for small grant projects in the ministry. He applauded the efforts of PMAS-AAUR on the establishment of Mehr Biogas Model and said this model would help the country become self-sufficient in the energy sector.
He hoped this model would facilitate investments in the Biomass-Bio-energy sector and stressed to create awareness among the public particularly farmers regarding the importance of biomass.
The effort would not only be environment friendly but also earn extra income for the farmer, he added. Addressing the participants, Shahid Iqbal appreciated PMAS-AAUR administration and the concerned team on Mehr Biogas Model and urged that this model should act as a learning center to create awareness about the solid waste treatment facility in the country.
He said this model could contribute significantly in reducing loadshedding and providing energy to the citizens and industry. Earlier, Prof Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad gave a briefing about functions and objectives for the establishment of Mehr Biogas Model.
He said in Pakistan there was a huge potential for power generation from crops biomass and recommended that Pakistan is an appropriate country for the installation of bio-energy facilities to fulfill the current needs of the country.
He said solid waste is collected from the campus and recycled into useful/beneficial products (biogas, electricity and compost) without any sort of pollution. Prof Ahmad also announced VC award for the Mehr Biogas Model team headed by Dr Ghulam Jillani, Professor of Department of Soil Science and Water Conservation and urged all the faculty members to work hard for the development of the country.
