Report: Pacific islanders face risk of relocation by end of century.
Under the current scenario, a 6 degree C temperature increase is projected over the Asian landmass by the end of the century.
Some countries in the region could experience significantly hotter climates, with temperature increases projected to reach 8 degrees, according to the report, "A Region at Risk: The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific."
The report said such a scenario may even pose an existential threat to some countries in the region and crush any hope of achieving sustainable and inclusive development.
The report is predicting that small island nations in the Pacific, including Tuvalu, will be in danger of losing territory due to sea-level rise.
Their limited spatial capacity often makes relocation unfeasible, leaving only the option of migrating to other countries (such as Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and the United States).
"Fiji provides safe refuge with higher elevation and a similar geographic setting," the report states.
"The government of Kiribati has already bought 20 sq.
Marine ecosystems at risk In addition to sea-level rise, marine ecosystems in the Western Pacific will be in serious danger by 2100.
Even with a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase, 89 percent of coral reefs are expected to suffer from serious bleaching, severely affecting reef related fisheries and tourism," according to the report.

Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan, Ignacio Artaza was the chief guest while Professor Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad Vice Chancellor PMAS-AAUR, National Programme Director (SLMP-II), Ishrat Ali, Hamid Marwat, National Programme Coordinator (SLMP-II), Professor Dr. Maqsood Anwar, Dean Faculty of Forestry, Range Management and Wildlife, Professor Dr. Sarwat N. Mirza, Chairman Department of Forestry & Range Management of PMAS-AAUR, deans, directors, faculty members and large numbers of students were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the audience at the seminar, Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan, Ignacio Artaza emphasised to mainstream efforts for sustainable land management to combat desertification.
He said, "Desertification is a global phenomenon, affecting the livelihoods of 900 million people across the five continents and representing a third of worldwide threats to biodiversity.
It requires global attention and local action."
Mr. Artaza acknowledged efforts by the Ministry of Climate Change and appreciated Sustainable Land Management Programme (SLMP) for on-the-ground efforts to combat desertification in 14 districts in all four provinces of the country.
Professor Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor PMAS AAUR, highlighted the role university was playing for better climate in the country.
He emphasised that such collaborative activities must be strengthened and taken forward for fighting desertification in Pakistan.
He also appreciated UNDP Pakistan and Ministry of Climate Change for taking the lead in sustainable land management through their joint programme, SLMP.
“Rainwater harvesting is the best source to meet the agriculture needs also improves the quality and quantity of produce”, he added.
National Programme Director (SLMP-II), Ishrat Ali informed the audience that Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) was aware of the threats posed by desertification, land degradation and drought to environmental sustainability and appreciates value of policy, projects and programme’s interventions in combating desertification, land degradation and drought.

Drought Delays Sugar Cane Sowing Time in Cuban Province.
The sowing time for sugar cane in Cuba’s province of Santa Clara has been drastically delayed due to the drought which has affected the island’s agricultural sector since 2015.
Farmers are unable to irrigate the soil destined for the crop, causing the delay according to the Cuban News Agency.
Andres Duran Fundora, director of Sugar Group AZCUBA, the state-owned entity dedicated to the agricultural production of sugar and its derivatives, told reporters that low water reserves in Santa Clara have hampered agricultural production.
Norbelio Machado, Sugar Group AZCUBA’s representative in Villa Clara, noted that the drought had already foiled the sowing plan for the first semester’s harvest.
html5: undefined play-rounded-fill play-rounded-outline play-sharp-fill play-sharp-outline pause-sharp-outline pause-sharp-fill pause-rounded-outline pause-rounded-fill 00:00 ShareEmbed spaceplay / pause qunload | stop ffullscreen ↑↓volume mmute ←→seek .
seek to previous 12… 6 seek to 10%, 20% … 60% pause-sharp-outline pause-sharp-fill pause-rounded-outline pause-rounded-fill 0:00 0:00 Located in the province’s northern region, Villa Clara has been one of the areas hardest hit by the two-year-long drought, with water scarcity causing severe problems in the agriculture sector.
To compensate, agriculturalists have been working overtime in other provincial areas which have received recent rain.
Machado said that sowing on a wide base, an agricultural technique that covers over 10,800 hectares, can help farmers survive the drought.
He argued, “climate change is causing that, mainly in the region of the Caribbean.”

Warrants issued for Farooq Sattar, other MQM-Pakistan for ‘resorting to violence’.
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate issued on Monday non-bailable warrants of arrest for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – Pakistan head others leaders for ‘resorting to violence’ during a protest outside Chief Minister House.
MQM-Pakistan Convener Farooq Sattar, deputy convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Sindh opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan and Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar were booked by police in June, 2016 after they organised a protest outside CM House over the water scarcity in the city.
During the hearing, the investigation officer presented a progress report before the District South judicial magistrate – XXVI and cited failure in the arrest of the absconding suspects, who include Sattar and Siddiqui.
Akhtar and Hassan have obtained bail from the court.
PTI, PML-N leaders come face to face during mayoral elections in Karachi The police had implicated around 500 people, most of them unknown, for allegedly rioting during the protest.
According to the prosecution, the MQM leaders incited their workers to cause a riot in the Red Zone, blocking roads and disrupting law and order.
The protest started from the Karachi Press Club.
MQM leaders led the protesters but were stopped by police on the way.
The judicial magistrate ordered the issuance of non-bailable warrants and directed the investigating officer to make efforts to arrest the absconders and submit a compliance report on the next hearing on August 17.

Diana Penty Learnt THIS Traditional Technique In Jodhpur.
Diana Penty is currently stationed in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) for the shooting of her forthcoming movie, Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran alongside action star John Abraham.
The talented actress, who was recently spotted at the historic Pokhran Fort, had to shoot under extreme weather conditions in the desert, especially in the scorching heat as high as 40 degrees.
While shooting at the deserted location, Diana got to know about the water scarcity problems being faced the people there.
After learning about the traditional water harvesting practice called Tanka being followed by them, she was quite surprised and curious to learn more about the unique water preservation way.
Tanka is a traditional rainwater harvesting technique, common to the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan.
It is meant to provide drinking water for a single or a small group of families and is an important element of water security in these arid regions.
A Tanka is a cylindrical underground rainwater storage cistern usually 10’ x 10’ in size, wherein rainwater from rooftops, a courtyard or natural or artificially prepared catchment flows into the paved underground pit, through filtered inlets made on the external wall of the structure, where it is stored and can be used by one family during the dry season.
Trending : Once fully filled, the water is sufficient for a family of 5-6 members for a period of 5–6 months, and saves it from everyday-water-fetching-drudgery.
Diana who is concerned about the environment and support causes related to the same visited Jaisalmer has been learning more about water preservation from the locals in Jodhpur so that she can adopt it in her hometown Mumbai and create awareness about it.

Delhi to run out of water soon!
Here’s the proof.
The report stated that Delhi which is the world’s second most populous city is expected to grow from 14 million people residing in the city to 25 million.
Additionally, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party had affirmed that every household would get at least 20,000 litres of water for free per month.
The research claimed that the national capital does not have enough water to turn the promise into reality.
Overflowing sewers and mismanagement of resources also could be the basic reasons for water scarcity in Delhi.
Also Read: With no water in the Yamuna, activists take holy bath with sand in Agra [Watch video] As per the report, some houses do not have functional meters and regular incidents of water leakage and theft make the matters worse.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Haryana was sending “less” water to Delhi only leading to further water shortage.
“The release of water to Delhi through the Yamuna has been decreased by Haryana since May 8, 2017.
If this is not fixed soon, there might be a major water shortage in the city,” a senior Delhi Jal Board officials told Hindustan Times.

Most of the time the restrooms are either locked or remains devoid of water.
According to students, when classes take place from 9 am to 6 pm, it becomes very difficult to not use the restrooms for so long.
A student requesting anonymity said that most of the time, about 60 per cent of the class hours, the restrooms remain closed.
“In all the three floors, most of the time the restrooms for ladies and gents will remain closed.
Many of us don’t use the restrooms the whole day,” she said, adding that on asking for water, the University said that since there is scarcity, they can’t provide much water.
Another student said that she doesn’t use the restroom at all.
“My class is on the third floor.
They remain closed on all the floors,” she said, adding that there are around five pregnant women studying distance education.
For pregnant women, it is really difficult to rush and use the bathroom.
We have to stand in the queue to use the restrooms in that building,” said a student, requesting anonymity, adding that of all the restrooms, only the one on the ground floor will remain open.

Gawalmandi with a large population is facing plethora of problems, which needs immediate attention of the concerned civic body, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, to rid the inhabitants of this area from hardships due to non-availability of basic facilities.
Like other parts of Cantonment, citizens of Gawalmandi are too facing problem of water scarcity since the start of summer this year.
Similarly, the condition of tube wells is also not satisfactory and seems to have developed fault causing acute water shortage.
Though the RCB has laid special priority in improving cleanliness system but a surprise visit by the Cantonment Executive Officer, Dr. Saima Shah to Gawalmandi on any day would negate all the tall claims of the civic body, the citizens of this area alleged.
The sanitation staff is never seen to perform their duties related to lifting garbage and wastages seen littered everywhere besides cleaning the street and road outlets (small nullahs).
Similarly, the condition of streetlights is also not satisfactory.
They have appealed to the Station Commander of RCB as well as CEO to take immediate and serious notice into the matter and direct the concerned officials and staff for adopting measures for rectifying the problems existing in Gawalmandi.
With the installation of new tube wells, the situation of water supply will improve in next couple of months.
He also admitted that due to shortfall of rains and dry weather over the last one year, level of water in Khanpur Dam fell causing problem of water supply this year.
He said funds are allocated for improving streetlights system.

As water scarcity bites, farmers learn how to avoid a drier future.
Farmers must resort to technology to cope with more arid conditions.
Researcher in environmental informatics Stephen Hallet, a contributor to Malta’s soil information system since 2002, spoke on challenges farmers face.
The on-farm initiative is part of a Horizon 2020 project with EU funding to foster water-agriculture research and innovation in Malta (FoWARIM) organised by the Mcast Water Research and Training Centre in collaboration with Cranfield University.
Another year of poor rainfall is likely to be recorded at the end of next month.
The result is more water loss through evaporation in the dry season.
Over-watering can lead to nutrient loss.
“You might get away with what you are doing at the moment, but this lets you farm into a drier future,” Lynda Deeks told farmers during a demonstration on managing crops in a dry climate for improved yield and quality.
Irrigation specialist Jerry Knox spoke on how to match irrigation schedules with loss of water from plant leaves and soil by evaporation.
Stakeholders need a co-ordinated approach from local institutions.

Whether it’s protecting the environment, civil rights or animal rights, New Jersey Assemblyman Tim Eustace is hard at work crusading for his home state of New Jersey.
He has had some difficulty being an out gay politician.
Tim and Kevin became the first openly gay couple in New Jersey to apply to the state for joint adoption in 1988.
Eustace said of parenting, “The most important lesson we wanted our sons to learn was to be kind.
They are fine young men and treat people well.
It makes a dad very proud.” Balancing life is important he says whether you are a parent or not.
“You make time for the things that are important in your life.
We need to stand up for each other.” He also has sponsored a bill in Trenton to prohibit rent increases for seniors under certain circumstances.
Standing up for transgender rights is another priority for Assemblyman Tim Eustace.
Even if the folks in Washington think that the Constitution applies to only some people,” he said.