TOBA TEK SINGH: Experts at University of Agriculture Faisalabad have warned of deepening soil health issue that will aggravate food insecurity and rising hunger in the years to come.

Speaking at an event to mark the World Soil Day here on Thursday, they called for caring soil and sustainably managing this invaluable resource.

The students of the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences set up stalls depicting the present and future aspects of the soil health and its impact on our lives and the planet.

UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan said the soil health was waning due to [soil] erosion, loss of organic matter and nutrition depletion.

He added that the decreasing soil fertility is a real challenge for which agricultural scientists should enhance their efforts to address the issue at the national and international levels. He said serious intervention was needed to combat environmental, soil and water degradation with proper remediation.

Director UAF Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences and President Soil Science Society of Pakistan Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir urged everyone to commit to the soil health by adopting scientific tools to measure its quality, monitor its change and implement effective management practice. “Together, we can ensure that our soils remain fertile, resilient and capable of supporting life for generations to come.”

He added that the soil erosion, polluted water irrigation, converting of fertile land into the colonies and cropping intensity were deteriorating the soil health. He said each additional degree of environmental damage adds to the miseries of the people.

Also a similar seminar was held at Government College University Faisalabad by its Department of Environmental Sciences.

Vice Chancellor Dr Rauf-i-Azam was the chief guest while Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences Dr Farhat Jabeen, Director of ORIC Dr Tanveer Shehzad and Chairman of Department of Environmental Sciences Dr Sabir Hussain, Dr Abdul Wakeel highlighted the importance of various aspects of soil health for agricultural and environmental sustainability.

VC Dr Rauf appreciated the holding of the seminar and called for engaging the students and faculty members of other departments in this process of awareness.

He said: “We should ensure daily cleanliness around us, because a clean environment is the guarantor of a healthy and energetic society.”

An awareness walk was also conducted at the end of the seminar in which a large number of faculty members and students participated.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024