1. NBS-QAUBio-ResourceCentre
Wastewater treatment based on bio-remedia on through
hybrid-constructed wetland and phyto-remedia on with
integrated farming system to ensure sustainability.
No use of mechanical or chemical means to reclaim the
wastewater. Natural and cheaper means to manage used
water for recycling and agricultural use.
An approach to u lize exis ng resources for environment
rehabilita on and poverty allevia on.
Funded by “Sardar Memorial Eco-SolutionsTrust (SMET)”
The Social Corporate Responsibility Wing of “NBS”
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2. NBS is a part of the Bio-Technology Park of QAU and helped QAU in establishing a wastewater treatment system
through bio-remedia on process in a hybrid constructed wetland. The reclaimed water will be used in the Bio-Resource
Center comprising 30-40 acres of QAU land to display various innova ve income genera ng technologies which would
be integrated with liquid and solid waste sanita on. QAU and NBS has signed an MoU, which joins the two organiza on
to conduct further research and development in sanita on area and help the society to deal with sanita on problems.
Quaid-i-Azam University is recognized as top university in Pakistan and ranked at 69th among best universi es. Ini ally
departments and hostels wastewater was le running into the natural water way without or inadequate treatment and
this stream was ending down into Rawal Lake pollu ng the Lake, which is one of the major source of surface fresh water
for two million consumers of Rawalpindi and Cantonment areas mainly used for drinking purpose. According to WASA
Rawalpindi total coliform bacteria were found to be 11000 per 100 mL of water which is enormously above the
permissible limit of 150 per 100 mL in Rawal Lake, total coliforms is one of the indicators of wastewater pollu on. This
had been a source of li ga on between QAU and WASA Rawalpindi. A er the Supreme Court verdict of September
2010 it was made obligatory for QAU to discharge its waste water a er treatment according to Na onal Environmental
Quality Standards (NEQSs). Capital Development Authority was approached by QAU and paid to provide treatment
plantbutthissystemwasinefficientandobsoletetoproducethedesiredresults.
In January 2012 alumni of QAU (Dr. Yousaf Riaz and Dr. Asif Riaz) running a company NBS Inc., came with the bio-
remediaon technology to treat the wastewater of the five hostels applying indigenous resources by constructed
wetland and successfully installed the wastewater treatment system. Now this wetland has been established and QAU
wastewater is being treated for its use in bio-resource center and all parameters are under NEQS. NBS has also agreed
to establish a bio-resource center and cooperate in treatment of the en re QAU waste water. The wetland and the bio-
resource center project cost Rs. 4.5 million was funded by Sardar Memorial Eco-solu ons Trust (SMET) the social
corporateresponsibilitywingoftheNanoBio-solu onsInc.
6. “Not a single drop of the recycled water will go to waste, as the
same will be used for fruits, vegetables and medicinal herbs. This
means making the university green and profitable,” he said,
adding that on the comple on of the project he would invite the
Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman to see as to how
much interest he shows in making streams passing through the
territory under his jurisdic on neat and clean.
QAU strivesQAU strives
to retain itsto retain its
top rankingtop ranking
statusstatus
QAU strives
to retain its
top ranking
status
Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, appointed three years
back as vice-chancellor, says he has brought
the university back from the brink; now it can
be safely said it can retain its top-ranking
status in Pakistan for next two decades. The
secret lies in promo ng inter-disciplinary
approach, interac ve teaching method and
linking the research-oriented university with
developmentsector.
Professor Yasinzai, who was born in a suburb
of Que a in 1958 did his master’s in Bio-
Organic Chemistry, received his Ph. D from
the University of Hull, UK and Post-Doctorate
from Perugia Medical School, Italy is the first
academician from Balochistan to run the
office of the vice chancellor of the pres gious
ins tu oninIslamabad.
“Ihaveupgradeddepartmentsintoschoolsso
astouseinterdisciplinaryapproach”referring
to School of Poli cs and Interna onal
Rela ons and School of Management
Sciences. During the last three years he has
inducted 100 Ph. Ds — all of them have
degreesfromforeignuniversi es.
Addi onally, he has encouraged interac ve
teaching method instead of tradi onal
pedagogy. “When the first batch of my School
of Management Sciences will pass out, I am
confident it will make a lot difference in the
market where the graduates of LUMS, NUST
and IBA nowstandtall,”hesays.
Though the QAU has quota system, they have
to enter into a tough compe on to qualify
for admissions. Dr. Masoom says besides
interac ve teaching, the facul es of
students are ve ed through regular
workshops, deba ng contests and state-of-
the-artlibrariesandresearchfacili es.
Dr. Masoom said nutri ous food was being
supplied at hostels along with playgrounds
and all modern facili es like banks, post-
office, café. In 2011, the university awarded
scholarship worth 4.1 million to 2318
studentsonmeritorneedbase.
“When I joined the university, it was on the
verge of collapse due to the fact that there
was no strategic planning. I took into
confidence the heads of the department and
deans and held workshops to have one. The
difference is visible from the research
publica ons that have almost doubled now,”
hesays.
Dr. Masoom noted that the problem which
Pakistan society is confron ng with these
days is all due to the fact that the country is
not producing competent professional in
subjects like poli cs, foreign policy, sociology,
anthropology. “We need to produce social
scien sts to put the country on the path of
peaceandstability,”hesaid.
He said despite the fact that he was a
hardcore natural scien st, but he had given
top priority to Social Sciences and the proof
lies in conversion of IR department into
School of Poli cal Science and Interna onal
Rela ons.
On linking research with socio-economic
upli of thecountry Dr.Masoom men oned a
model project in the university, started two
years earlier, which will recycle and clean the
wastewater from hostels and residen al
colony of the university. With the comple on
of the seven-pond project, that is using
indigenously available material and aqua c
plants for removing hazardous metals
and toxic material from wastewater, it
will be used as a model to clean streams
of the federal capital falling into the
RawalLake.
“Not a single drop of the recycled water
willgo to waste,as the same willbe used
for fruits, vegetables and medicinal
herbs. This means making the university
green and profitable,” he said, adding
thatonthecomple onoftheprojecthe
would invite the Capital Development
Authority (CDA) chairman to see as to
how much interest he shows in making
streams passing through the territory
underhisjurisdic onneatandclean.
Printed in “Weekly Pulse”
Friday, Feb 22, 2013
INTERVIEW
Riaz Missen
The wetland project near football ground will be aesthe cally beau ful,
save Rawal Lake from pollu on and help the university improve its
hor culture, Botanic Garden and Biotech Park, said Quaid-i-Azam
University (QAU) Vice Chancellor Dr. Masoom Yasinzai.
He was speaking at the MoU signing ceremony of wetland project with
Nano-Bio Solu ons, a firm set up by former students of the QAU. The
project will be set up between football ground and Hostel-6.
The vice-chancellor appreciated old students of the QAU for always
remembering their alma mater for helping it out in difficult areas. He said
that the project, a dona on, would also help the university in solving its
problem regarding release of sewage into Rawal Lake.
Yousuf Riaz, a former QAU student, now handling Nano-Bio Solu ons, said
that the NBS is collabora ng with QAU on Biological Solu ons for Life to
socio-economically develop Pakistan through research, which goes a long
way in fulfilling corporate social responsibility for cost effec ve innova ve
solu ons. It will help in establishing a resource centre for the QAU Bio-
Technology Park in which Dr. Ish aq Ahmad Qadri, a celebrated scien st
and former student of Biological Sciences, QAU, is playing a leading role as
an HEC scholar. The Rs4.5 million project may take one or two years but it
will help in integrated farming also by recycling sewage.
The VC said that the QAU has not less than three loca ons from where
polluted water is flowing into the Rawal Lake. Riaz said that the NBS would
consult another alumni and German organisa ons for help in trea ng
water from all water outlets of the QAU. The VC also performed the
groundbreaking ceremony at the site.
Printed in Daily “The News”
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Rasheed Khalid
From Print Edi on
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-87087-QAU-wetland-project-to-protect-Rawal-Lake
http://weeklypulse.org/details.aspx?
contentID=3315&storylist=13
