Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Technology vs manual labour
There is no doubt that technology is the most influencing factor in our lives. It has changed the way of learning, production, banking, billing, shopping and communication. But it is replacing the labour.
Present technological progress has led to relatively high demand for skilled workers and relatively lower demand for workers performing routine activities.
Thus unemployment is prevailing and old labour hands are jobless now as high technology has replaced them.
Many jobs are affected like cashiers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, bank tellers and factory workers.
But the people who are too old to learn new skills and technology are facing the trauma of worthlessness and unemployment
. The government must take steps like providing government training programs and helping them to relocate the areas where job exists.
KANDEEL SADAQAT
Lahore
New Zealand tour in Pakistan
New Zealand will visit Pakistan next month for the first time in 18 years to play three one-day internationals and five T-20 matches in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
The first match will be played on the 17th of September and the last one on the 3rd of October, 2021.
However, New Zealand’s visit to Pakistan after 18 years is one of the happiest moments for our country.
We warmly welcome the New Zealand team and hope the series will end with lots of love and spirit between the two teams. As such, we expect New Zealand’s players to enjoy being in Pakistan.
MUNEEB MAQSOOD
Singanisar
Unsafe potable water
The Pakistan Council of Research of Water Resources (PCRWR) tested 29 sources of potable water for toxicity levels across the country and found 20 of them to be entirely unsafe.
Apparently, the public has been drinking water laced with high levels of arsenic, iron, fluoride and even brain-eating amoeba.
A report released by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) earlier this year revealed that the country’s industrial waste, poor sewerage system, agricultural run-off and unplanned urbanisation are all primary causes of the contamination of drinking water, and this polluted water was being consumed all across the country.
It is no surprise then that our water supply has become a thriving environment for dangerous bacteria and viruses like the brain-eating amoeba that killed six people this month alone.
Considering how this further aids the transmission of polio, hepatitis, influenza and even corona-virus, alarm bells should be ringing and the authorities should be scrambling for finding a viable and immediate solution.
Water policies that revolved around making it mandatory to check water quality once a year, surely it takes no expert to state that this may not be enough; our country requires a comprehensive strategy that involves laws regarding proper disposal procedures and a detailed purification process.
Filtration, distillation chlorinating and reverse osmosis have been scientifically proven to create effective barriers for pollutants and bacteria to remain in the water.
However, if these are proving to be unsustainable for the government, the least it can do is to provide incentives, like tax cuts or subsidies, for corporations to either develop more sustainable methods or take over the large-scale purification process.
Regardless of what route we take, now is the time for the government to remain determined and motivated politically and socially. If we are to battle the impending water crisis, we must eliminate pre-existing problems first.
QAZI JAMSHED SIDDIQUI
Lahore
Business communication
Most students think business communication is an easy task and therefore, don’t give enough concentration.
When the word ‘literacy’ came into being, communication became necessary while coordinating in business circles.
Business communication is not only related to business talks or discussions rather it is the combination of writing articles, letters and blogs. In other words, simply write in a way that makes readers understand the issue or purpose of your write-up.
Smartness comes with understanding new things, not with ignoring. Specifically, when students have a learning opportunity, they choose their major subjects/electives first. But not learning business communication skills will create hurdles in the future.
Furthermore, business communication is the key factor reflecting your ability as it reveals a person’s behaviour yet students take business communication leniently. Thus, the reader or they themselves face rejection.
In a nutshell, business communication is not interaction, coordination and communication related to business transactions but it is the key factor of achievements.
In contrast, learners are losing their concentration to make themselves special. Therefore, they need to identify these issues and improve their reading and writing skills.
RAGNI LUND
Sindh, Pakistan
Overburdening electric bills
Man cannot survive without four basic needs i.e. food, shelter, clothes and electricity. Electricity is very essential for our lives and it is very difficult to live without it. In order to keep us under the glowing bulb, we pay for its overburdening heavy bills.
The tariff of electric units is a maze that can’t be understood. The hike in unit prices is unaffordable for all of us. Suppose the unit price for 298 units is Rs. 3800 and the price of 306 units is Rs. 5500.
If you minus 298 out of 306 units, you would have eight units. It means eight units of electricity costs Rs. 1700!!
How pitiable and pathetic is this to visualise. Such tendencies instigate/prompt public to go for Kunda Culture as bills are truly unaffordable.
In addition to heavy surcharges, the provision of electricity is the most minimum while bills are maximum to their fullest.
Load shedding may be changed into load shedding of units and surcharges. The authorities must revisit the tariff and make it affordable for the common people.
SAJJAD HUSSAIN
Agra, Sindh
