1. In general, people believe that the more secluded and mildly populated a place is, the less polluted and corrupted it would be. But it seems like that is not always the case because surprisingly, all water samples collected from the beautiful region of Gilgit have been found to be 100 per cent contaminated, making the water unsuitable for drinking.
Similarly, samples from the Sindh cities of Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad are also deemed completely unsafe for human consumption.
Details presented by the Ministry of Water Resources in the National Assembly reveal that 94% of drinking water in Multan, 93% in Karachi, and 92% in Badin is contaminated.
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In Bahawalpur, 76% of the water is polluted, while Sargodha has 83% unsafe water, and Faisalabad and Sheikhupura report 59% and 60%, respectively, of their water being unfit for drinking.
In Abbottabad and Khuzdar, 55% of the water is contaminated, with Loralai and Quetta showing 59%. Meanwhile, 80% of drinking water in Hyderabad, 67% in Sukkur, and 70% in Muzaffar is also unsafe.
Following the 18th Amendment, the responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water and enhancing its quality now lies with the provincial governments.
2. According to the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index for 2024, Pakistan has ~ slightly ~ improved, climbing one spot to rank 129th out of (wait for it…) 142 countries evaluated.
In the global category of order and security, Pakistan ranks 140th i.e. the third worst in the world.
Regionally, Pakistan is fifth out of six South Asian countries evaluated and while an overall score indicates decline from 2019 to 2023, the 2024 report shows a change in this trend after five years of decline.
3. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that Pakistan’s inflation rate, which has decreased from 29% to 12.6% this year, will further fall to 10.6% by 2025, according to Jihad Azour, the IMF’s Director for the Middle East and Central Asia.
In a recent statement regarding Pakistan’s economic outlook, Azour noted that the country’s economy is anticipated to grow at a rate of 3.2% in the 2024-25 fiscal year, indicating a positive sign of economic recovery.
4. New Zealand defeated India in the second Test to take a decisive lead of 2-0 in the three-match series.
In the match played in Pune, New Zealand defeated India by 113 runs.
Chasing New Zealand’s 359 runs on the third day of play, the Indian team was bowled out for 245 runs.
After 12 years, India has lost a Test series at home.
5. According to the recent data by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the local manufacturing sector maintained its upward trend in September 2024, with domestic companies producing or assembling 2.15 million units.
22.59 million locally manufactured or assembled mobile phones were sold in nine months which marks a 74% year-on-year increase.
