Like any other developing country, Pakistan is confronting the problem of climate change. The unprecedented flooding of 2010 and other subsequent events directs to the fact that this region is most vulnerable to climatic hazards. Despite the fact and importance, the public concerns and understandings of the issue in the region is not studied yet. This research is based on a case study carried out in District Swat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The main objectives covering the study were i) to get insight of the public perceptions of climate change and adaptation in the study area and ii) to assess the various impacts of climate change on livelihood sources of indigenous communities. An attempt was made to utilize mixed methods approach to get an in-depth investigation of the underlying factors and determinants influencing the public understanding about climate change. Using stratified sampling technique, 25 union councils (wards) were selected from the nine tehsils (sub-districts) of the study area. Information was collected from 1066 households using structured questionnaire. The information was analyzed using SPSS (version 20) and the association between the climate change knowledge and demographic variables were explored using chi-square tests and Cramer’s V statistics. The study revealed that majority (88.5%) of the respondents were aware of the climate change in the area. Deforestation (37.2%), natural causes (29.7%) and combustion of fossil fuels (14.7%) were the main reported causes of climate change. Natural hazards such as floods (16.8%), dry spells (16.2%), vector borne diseases (10.8%), changes in biodiversity (10.5%), lower agricultural productivity 10.1%) and heat waves (9.9%) were among the major perceived impacts of climate change. A Significant relationship (p < .05) was found between the demographic variables and climate knowledge in the study area. The study also revealed that climate change has affected multiple livelihood resources in the study area. Climate induced hazards such as floods, droughts, extreme weather events and erratic rainfall are the main factors affecting livelihood sources in the study area. The floods of 2010 has resulted in a major setback to the overall socio-economic fabric of the area. The floods washed out large numbers of agriculture lands, crops and fruit orchards spreading havoc. Most of the hotels and other tourism infrastructure along xvii the River Swat got damaged as the result. The devastation left thousands of individuals jobless as their livelihoods were shattered by the floods. Adaptation measures dictates the various steps taken by the government and communities to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. Government funded as well locally adapted measures have been found in the study area. After the severe flooding event of 2010, government departments are involved in multiple rehabilitation efforts. Watershed management, reforestation / afforestation, rehabilitation of the damaged water supply and sewerage systems, embankments of the River Swat, and construction of new reservoirs are some of the efforts commenced by the government. Locally adapted measures include changes in irrigations system, change in crop variety and seeds, change in the house structure, communal protection of the forest resources and grazing lands. Although a unanimous agreement about climate change was found in the study area, differing views about the causes and impacts of climate change among the survey respondents existed. The findings present ample evidence to materialize this prerogative. Perceptions and understandings of climate change is highly affected by the age, education and income level of the respondents. Elderly people are more knowledgeable about the causes and impacts of climate change as they have been observing the climate system since long. Educated people tend to blame anthropogenic causes for climate change compared to others who opt for natural causes. The demography of a study area is a major contributing factor to the understanding of climate change beliefs of a community. This research recommends that the role of environmental institutions should be enhanced at provincial level and should be extended to the district level. Public should be provided with climate education leading to better understanding of climate change and its impacts on their communities. Moreover, they should be made aware about the importance of forests, negative effects of deforestation and how to take care of these resources using individual and communal efforts.Further research is recommended to explore to the entire depth of the affected livelihood resources with emphasis on agriculture, fisheries and tourism sectors.
Dengue fever is a vector borne disease and is caused by DEN Virus. This virus has four different serotypes. The vectors are two mosquitoes known as Aedesaegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedesalbopictus(the Asian tiger mosquito). First case of dengue fever was reported back in 1994 in Karachi. A complete outbreak of this epidemic shook the whole nation in 2012. Uptill now, Lahore a city full of culture, witnessed about 16,580 confirmed cases and 257 deaths. About 5000 confirmed cases with 60 deaths were reported from the rest of the provinces. Under guidelines of WHO, Government has made efforts to combat this epidemic. Although the overall efforts have minimized the outbreak on controllable levels but dengue fever is a continuous threat. Since no permanent cure is available, the transmission of DEN virus is controlled indirectly. So the prime focus is to control mosquito population and decrease the possible hot spots i.e. Mosquito breeding sites in human habitations. Every year, the country witnesses monsoon season which brings vast areas full of clear standing waters providing breeding sites for mosquitoes which ultimately leads to increased number of patients suffering from dengue fever. Efforts have been made to fight against dengue including formation of dengue wards in hospitals, vector surveillance, community education, reactive vector control etc. A study has shown prevalence of four mosquito genera in Pakistan including Aedes, Culex, Armigeresand Anopheles. All of the above mentioned genera are associated with disease transmissions as they are the vectors of different viruses and parasites. It is the need of hour to do a collaborative effort stressing the community mobilization and management in war against dengue.
Phosphorus (P) is a key element in the environment and its availability can have major impacts on ecosystem’s functioning and structure. Among nutrients, P is an essential macronutrient and its deficiency can adversely affect diverse plant functions and has been known to be the yield limiting factor in many soils. Phytoavailability of naturally bound soil inorganic phosphorus (Pi) has always been a great concern for the sustainable crop production. In recent decade, nanoparticles (NPs) have been considered as a factor for improving plant nutrition. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to investigate the potential of TiO2 NPs to improve the phytoavailability of P in soil medium, their impacts on plant growth and the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. For this purpose, different types of soil medium were used for plant cultures to investigate the effects of TiO2 NPs on the mobility and uptake of P. Both rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) plants were exposed to TiO2 NPs at concentrations ranging from 0–1000 mg kg-1 over the full crop cycle. The responses of these NPs in soil medium were monitored considering plant biomass, shoot- root length, pH of rhizosphere soil, phytoavailable P in soil and plant''s P uptake along with other nutrients. In case of rice, TiO2 NPs application in paddy soil significantly improved P concentration in rice (roots, shoots and grains). Translocation of NPs from soil to rice grains could not be established (Not detected with ICP-OES) thus reducing the risk of entering into the food chain through diet. A number of metabolites exhibited same trends as P compounds in TiO2 NPs treated groups, regulating the metabolic pathways with multiple contributions. In the present study, P improvements in grains were observed, same could be expected for several nutrients to be influenced via this methodology. Moreover, using metabolomics approach, NPs can be used for modifying the seed traits in early generations by selecting the metabolic biomarkers for nutrients management. In case of wheat plants, full life cycle was studied which helped to fill the knowledge gaps related to the behavior of TiO2 NPs in different textured soils i.e., loam xii and sandy loam. P concentration in shoots was significantly increased up to 2.1-fold and 1.6 fold in response to 150 and 50 mg kg-1 of TiO2 NPs along with the phytoavailable P in soils compared to their respective controls. At the highest tested level of TiO2 NPs (1000 mg kg-1), P concentration, plant growth and biomass along with other tested parameters were not improved in wheat while phytoavailable P was decreased in both the soils because of nanotoxicity. In brief, TiO2 NPs amendments can mobilize the bound P in soil at specified concentrations depending upon the plant species, soil properties and exposure duration. To understand the mechanisms involved in the mobility and uptake of P in response to TiO2 NPs exposure, another study was performed based on the experimental, statistical and computational analysis. For this purpose, range of nutrients present in soil-plant continuum were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and UV spectroscopy and studied in detail to explore the mechanism in response to TiO2 NPs. At molecular level, the effects of TiO2 NPs treatment on metabolic profile of wheat were determined using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). P speciation in soil upon TiO2 NPs application undergoes various modifications that were determined via 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (31P NMR) Spectroscopy. The dominating species at 50 mg kg-1 of TiO2 NPs treatment including inositol P, monoester P and myo-inositol P increased, while pyrophosphates were decreased. Similarly, the P fractions extracted by NaHCO3, NaOH and HNO3-P which represented labile, Al/Fe-bound P and residual P, respectively were increased at 50 mg kg-1 of TiO2 NPs treatment in soil compared to the control. In conclusion, TiO2 NPs increased P uptake in plants through improved mobility in soil at low dosages (i.e., 50 mg kg 1) along with metabolic alterations. In nutrient uptake mechanism, the NPs affinity to induce improved root exudation, adsorption and desorption of phosphate ions and P speciation dynamics are the traits responsible for P mobilization. These traits could be further utilized to improve nutrient management in agricultural soils.