I. INTRODUCTION Water is important natural resource which covers 70% of earth that exists on planet of earth and without it, life cannot survive. The major human activities have been used for polluting fresh water bodies. About 1.5 billion people have no safe drinking water globally and about 5 million deaths per year are attributed due to waterborne diseases [1]. It is estimated that 70% of industrial wastes in developing countries are disposed of untreated into waters where they contaminate existing water supplies [2]. The UN also estimates that the amount of wastewater produced annually is about 1,500 km 3 , i.e. six times more water than exists in all the rivers of the world [3]. The effluents from sugar mills are discharging without

Pakistan is blessed with vast agricultural resources on account of its fertile land, well-irrigated plains, huge irrigation system and infrastructure, variety of weathers, and centuries old experiences of farming. Agriculture is the single largest sector of the economy which contributes 20.9 percent in GDP and employees 43.4 percent of total work force. The estimated GDP of agricultural crops at current factor cost is Rs 1,608,522 million with major crops contributing Rs 579996 million and minor crops valued at Rs 191,835 million for the year 2006-07 [Pakistan (2007)]. The horticulture crops (fruits, vegetables and condiments) alone contribute Rs 116.645 billion, equivalent to US$ 2 billion, which is 26 percent of the total value of all crops and 81.8 percent of the total value of minor crops. Pakistan annually produces about 12.0 million tons of fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable export trade in Pakistan amounts to US$ 134 million (2003-04), of which fruits account for US$ 102.7 million (76.6 percent), vegetables US$ 25.7 million (19.2 percent) and fruit and vegetable preparations (mostly juices) US$ 5.6 million which is 4.2 percent [Pakistan (2004)] .

Education plays a significant role in growth of mind and individual income as it helps an individual in contributing to society in a positive way. It positively affects the attitude of an individual in adjusting to the society and adds in economic and societal growth. The main objective of education is to reshape the personalities and attitudes of people to build a better society and grow the economy. In this way, women education becomes more important. There is a common saying, “If a man is educated, an individual is educated, and if a women is educated, the entire family is educated”. The distance learning mode of education has been recognized as a great resource to give equal access to education to the women from remote areas of developing countries including Pakistan. However, proper quality assurance systems are to be placed for distance and open education in order to avoid its misuse and to ensure uncompromised education. With this backdrop, the main objective of the present study was to assess the role of distance education in extending and promoting women education. The nature of the study was quantitative and survey type. The masters students {MA (Education)/MEd level} of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) enrolled for spring semester-2018 to spring-2019, all the tutors of postgraduate Teacher Education Programs of AIOU, academicians relating to distance education and formal education programs were the population of this study. Due to lack of resources, and constraints of time and scope of the study, it was limited to four regions that were randomly sampled. A total number of 300 students from relevant programs were randomly selected i.e., 75 students from each region. 100 tutors of relevant programs were randomly sampled by selecting 25 tutors from each region. Questionnaires were used as research instruments. SPSS was used for data analysis. The data were analyzed and interpreted by applying statistical method of percentage and mean scores. The results show that the distance education has positively contributed towards women education. It has also improved their social, social skills, communication skills and the skills required for employment and entrepreneurship. The results further show that distance education has benefited the remotely located women in the country.  However, the quality aspects of distance education need to be addressed to enhance further benefits to women who opt for distance education.

Environmental and anthropogenic changes in lakes have implications for fishers’ livelihoods in form of their forced migration and occupational change. Those advocating lake restorations often face a dilemma whenasked if lake restoration will also restore the lost livelihoods. Answering such questions are difficult because most people are not programmed for frequent changes in their livelihood structures. Using the case study of Manchar Lake fishers who seemingly have faced such transition, this study brings insights on this broad question. We developed an in-person survey based on Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to study 300 fishers’ responses to a hypothetical situation whereby they were asked to “Switch Back” to Manchar Lake assuming that it has been restored to provide various ecosystem services. Results show that complete transformation in the livelihoods of fishing communities has taken place with remarkable variation in their access to assets and livelihood outcomes. Despite increase in their access to physical capital such as school, hospital, roads, and markets, the communities are still vulnerable to income shocks and rarely enjoy privileges such as house ownership. The comparative state of current and past livelihoods and asset possessions determine ones’ willingness to switch back to fishing in Manchar Lake. Those who may have performed better in the said transition are less likely to return to their erstwhile occupations even if the lake is restored and vice-versa. We conclude that satisfaction with current livelihood outcomes is low and willingness to switch back to fishing in Manchar Lake is high since many had been poor performers in the transition. While the environmental rationale for the Manchar Lake’s ecological restoration already exists, this study suggests that there also exists a socioeconomic rationale albeit in a way that restoration also supports contemporary ecological services such as tourism.

We assessed change in the asset profile of households of Gulmit village while they were attempting their recovery from Attabad landslide disaster, which occurred during 2010 in Pakistan. Primary data came from 183 randomly selected households of the disaster affected village through field work conducted in 2013. The physical, social, financial, natural, and human capitals were evaluated using weighted average indexes and cumulative indexes developed for accounting pre- and post-disaster situations. The findings reveal that all these capitals are interlinked. Any change in physical capital caused redundancy of natural capital negatively affecting livelihood opportunities locally. Loss of income and savings was result of negative impacts on financial capitals. The study further found that social capital is crucial but perishable. Human capital appears to be the most crucial hedge against vulnerabilities as healthy, qualified and skilled humans can choose alternative livelihoods in the face of climate changes, explore options, and divert their occupations while attempting recovery from disasters. Furthermore, relief packages and food aid interventions are necessary but not sufficient condition for effective disaster recovery. The relief operations are important in short term and helpful during the period when communities are passing through the coping stage. The restoration of physical capital (crucial infrastructure) and human capital are the most important aspects to focus upon for building resilient communities and mitigation of the negative impacts of climate change induced disasters.