Opening ceremony of the 7th International Conference on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development held at Mehran University

 Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Hyderabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th February, 2025) The opening ceremony of the 7th International Conference on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development organized by Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, was held. Addressing the opening ceremony, Energy Sector Expert Engineer Irfan Ahmed said that an environmentally friendly energy transition is taking place, electricity is being generated from wind and solar energy, there are many wind power generation projects in Sindh and wind power is also cheap.

He said that if the equipment is made in Pakistan, the cost of the projects will be reduced because at present most of the equipment is being purchased from abroad. He said that Pakistan has a lot of natural and natural sources and resources to generate environmentally friendly energy, but we are not using them properly.

Engineer Irfan Ahmed said that due to the cost of buying equipment for wind power generation projects from abroad, they are expensive, for solar energy panels we will have to train local people so that the villagers can manufacture the panels themselves.

He said that even today, 12 million people in Sindh are deprived of electricity. Professor Dr. Peng Weng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China said that China and Pakistan should increase cooperation on economic, energy, environment and technology issues. He said that climate change is a big problem that needs to be addressed together and our academy is ready to cooperate with Mehran University.

Professor Dr. Shafiq Ahmed Odhano of Newcastle University, UK said that this conference is being held in Sindh province and Sindh has faced more environmental disasters. The head of the conference and former Vice Chancellor of Mehran University, Professor Dr. Muhammad Aslam Aqili, said that the Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Group of Mehran University was formed in 2009, which organized the first conference on this topic.

He said that this group has produced excellent students in the field of research. Dr. Muhammad Aslam Aqili said that considering the political environment in Pakistan, foreign scholars are less likely to come. He said that solar energy is a big reality at the moment and small and large projects of solar energy and wind power are being set up, which will solve the energy problem in the country to a large extent.

He said that in such conferences, knowledge and information are exchanged and there is an opportunity to listen to each other. Director of the Energy Sector, Engineer Mahfouz Ahmed Qazi said that according to the World Bank report, the food problem will be a big problem for us by 2050. He said that excellent energy projects are running in Jhimpir which are growing and the World Bank’s cooperation is increasing to generate environmentally friendly electricity in the country.

He said that we have installed solar energy projects on 50 buildings in Sindh province and built solar parks in Karachi. He said that electricity is being generated from Thar coal, but it has environmental problems. He said that whether it is domestic use or industrial establishments, they are soon shifting to environmentally friendly energy. CSSP Pakistan Head Noor Ahmed Bajir said that the temperature is rising and the earth will not be habitable without reducing the use of fossil fuels.

He said that these conferences are the best opportunities to learn and listen for sustainable solutions and exchange of ideas. Conference organizer Prof. Dr. Shiraz Ahmed Memon said that the participation of researchers, experts and leaders from all over the world in this conference will open new avenues in the discussion on climate change, resource use and sustainable development goals and this conference will prove effective in solving the current environmental and energy problems facing Pakistan.

Mehran University Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Taha Hussain Ali said that the recommendations and suggestions presented in the conference should be for solving problems, identifying problems, and should be such recommendations that can be conveyed to the authorities and demanded from them to solve the problems. The Vice Chancellor said that there must be recommendations for solving the problems of the local population, while research should not only be for the development of the researcher but should also be for the work of the people. Experts from Pakistan, China, and India in the energy and environmental sectors presented their research papers at the two-day conference. Scholars from the UK and China participated in the conference and delivered special addresses.