طاقت کا زور ،حاکم اور محکوم میں فاصلہ
ہمارا ہمیشہ سے یہ المیہ رہا ہے کہ ہم اس حقیقت کو بھول جاتے ہیں کہ دنیا فانی ہے۔ ہر شے زوال پذیر ہو جائے گی۔ پھر بھی قوت و اقتدار کے ملتے ہی ہم خود کو طاقتور گردانتے ہوئے اپنی زندگی کو حقیقت سے دور لے جاتے ہیں۔ ماضی کے دریچوں سے اگر جھانکیں تو بے شمار ایسے واقعات ملیں گے مگر عصر حاضر میں بھی اس میں شدت بڑھتی ہی گئی۔ خاص طور پر مشرقی ممالک میں حاکم اور محکوم کے درمیان بڑھتے ہوئے فاصلے ہیں کہ جس کے نتیجے میں عام عوام کے خواب کانچ کی مانند ریزہ ریزہ ہو جاتے ہیں۔ ایسے چکنا چور کے جن کے شیشے آنکھوں اور ہاتھوں کو مزید چھلنی کر جاتے ہیں۔ دل میں نئی نئی امنگیںامیدیں سر اٹھاتی ہیں اوربالآخر گمنامی میں گم ہوجاتی ہیں۔ دل میں ہمیشہ یہ احساس ہوتا ہے ، کاش یہ اقتدار رکھنے والی قوتیں اس احساس کو ہمیشہ دامن گیر رکھتیں کہ اقتدار صرف اور صرف ایک ڈھلتے سائے کا نام ہے۔اقتدار نہ رہے گا تو خود کی زندگی بھی پھر دل میں آخری خواہش کی طرح سسکی کے ساتھ دم توڑ دے گی۔کاش وہ دن جان پاتے کہ اقتدار ایک آفتاب لب کوہ کا نام ہے۔ یہ حاکم و محکوم کے درمیان فاصلے آشوب قیامت برپا کیے ہوئے ہیں۔اقتدار رکھنے والی مقتدر قوتوں کو یہ علم ہونا چاہیے کہ عوام کی فلاح و اصلاح ہی ان کے اقتدار کا واحد جواز ہے۔انہوں نے بھی کہانی میں کچھ اس طرح ہی حاکم و محکوم کے فاصلے کا ذکر کیا ہے کہ کس طرح انگریزوں کی حکومت رہی ، ہندو اور مسلمان جو کہ آپس کے جھگڑوں میں بھی انگریز حکومت کے پابند تھے اور انگریز حکومت فیصلہ صادر کرنے...
Menstruation is a normal physiological process unique to females. Pre-menarche is characterized by physiological, cognitive, and psychological transitions which may be initiated from the midst of their second decade. The onset of puberty/ menstruation in girls tends to change their role in society. Overall inadequate awareness levels accompanied by socio-cultural taboos and prevailing myths and misconceptions about menarche and menstruation have played havoc on human society. Objective: To diagnose and compare the prevailing level ofknowledge, attitude, and practices of adolescent girls studying in government and private schoolstowards menstrual hygiene and management. Methods: This Analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted at Government Jouhar Girls High School and Shiblee Grammar School System, Gulberg Branch (private) Faisalabad. A self-administered survey-based questionnaire was developed. Prior formal written approval from school authorities was followed by the pre-planned scheduled visits, explaining the purpose of the study, assuring confidentiality of acquired information, and self-administration of survey-based questionnaires. Results: The results indicated that the mean age at menarches of the girls was 13.69±0.95 years. A relatively more percentage of government (59.6%) school respondents followed by private school respondents (57.1%) had satisfactory knowledge about their age of first menarche (p = 0.806). Motivated by the socio-cultural taboos and /or fear or shame a majority of government (59.6%) and private school respondents (57.1%) had satisfactory knowledge about their age of first menarche (p = 0.806). A strong prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) was found in private school girls 87(49.2%) and 21(11.9%), followed by respective percentages of 78(43.8%), 16(9.0%) amongst the government school respondents who recorded their responses as agreed and strongly agreed about the development of reproductive tract infection in the post-menstruation period. As far as the adoption of hygienic practices is concerned a relatively high percentage of government school 28(15.7%) followed by private school 14(7.9%) girls strongly disagreed about changing their absorbent material on daily basis. The development of skin abrasions like rashes, itching, and urinary tract infection was found in a relatively high proportion amongst the government school girls 30(16.9%) followed by private school respondents 18(10.2%) in the post-menstruation period. A most common and alarming unhygienic practice prevalent amongst the government and private school girls was the reuse of absorbent cloth, who responded as agreed and strongly agreed in respective terms as 43(24.2%), 22(12.4%), and 69(39%) and 28(15.8%). Conclusions: The study concluded that the persistent myths, misconceptions, socio-cultural taboos, and unhygienic practices i.e. Use of old clothes as absorbent, reuse of absorbent material, and delaying tendency of changing absorbent, amongst the adolescent school girls of government and private institutes which may pose direct adverse health and life quality concerns for the female Pakistani community. The current situation calls for active participatory contributions from education communities to initiate various communication and awareness campaigns regarding pre-menarche knowledge and menstruation management which may aid to strengthen and transform their role as a significant representative of society.
Groundwater quality is deteriorating due to ongoing heavy pumping of groundwater in Punjab, Pakistan. A geoelectrical resistivity survey study using Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) were conducted at Chaj Doab (land between river Jehlum and Chenab, Pakistan) and Rachna Doab (land between river Chenab and Ravi, Pakistan), with the objectives to locate low salinity groundwater aquifer layers for tubewell installation, tubewells auditing and to categorize different low salinity groundwater zones. The resistivity meter (ABEM Terrameter SAS 4000, Sweden) was used to collect the VES data by employing Schlumberger electrode configuration, with the half current electrodes spacings (AB/2) ranging from 2 to 180 m and the potential electrodes (MN) from 1 to 40 m. The field data were interpreted in terms of resistivity and the corresponding thickness of various sub-surface layers using “Interpex IX1D” computer software. This research study was completed in three phases to achieve its specific objectives in each phase. In the first phase six sites were selected to with three sites in each Doab. A total of ten VES surveys were conducted with three soundings at one site, two at other site and the rest of four sites were surveyed by single VES each. The outputs of the VES interpretation were verified using borehole data at all these six sites. The bore hole data of lithological and groundwater samples were collected from ground surface to 30 m depth with an interval of 1.5 m at all these sites. The correlation between VES data and borehole data was found to be in close agreement with each other. The combination of the VES data with the borehole data provided useful information on subsurface hydrogeologic conditions for tubewell installation and for further geoelectrical studies in the next phase. It was observed that the groundwater in the aquifers was fresh having EC < 1.5 dS/m with geoelectrical resistivity greater than 45 Ω-m, between 25 to 45 Ω-m was marginally-fit and less than 25 Ω-m was un-fit for irrigation. The results also showed that the effective depth of the current penetration ranged between 1/8 th to 1/2 of the outer current electrode spacings (AB/2). Than in the second phase six more sites were selected with three sites in each Doab to audit the salinity of groundwater extracted by existing tubewells. These sites were also subjected to VES surveys near to existing tubewells to find the depths and thickness of various subsurface layers having different salinities of groundwater. A total of 21 wells were audited in this study. Out these 21 tubewells, 8 were in un-fit aquifers layer, 7 in marginally fit aquifers, 4 in fit groundwater aquifers and two partially in fresh-saline layers. Nine tubewells are working fine and twelve need careful attentions. Out of these twelve tubewells three tubewells could be abandoned as only be used for shandying. Two tubewells were using extra energy by deep extraction of groundwater without any quality benefit. The other seven can be usefully converted from saline and marginally-fit to fresh groundwater wells by changing their depths. In the third phase, a total of ninety VES interpreted data spatially distributed over Chaj and Rachna Doabs was used, including ten of the 1 st and six of the 2 nd soundings with 43 in Chaj and 47 in Rachna Doab. The outputs (VES interpretation) of subsurface layers with resistivities and thickness were presented in contour maps and 3-D views by using SURFER software. The zones with low salinity groundwater either in shallow or deep aquifer were differentiated from brackish and saline groundwater. A total of 102 groundwater samples from nearby hand pumps and tubewells at different depths were also collected to verify previously developed correlation (1 st phase) and to get more closed approximation between the aquifer resistivity of VES and the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the groundwater over the study area with R 2 =0.86.