Vice Chancellor University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Professor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha said on Thursday that scarcity of water has become a serious threat for all creatures of the planet. He was addressing the inaugural session of a one-day seminar on 'Water and Food Security' in connection with 'World Water Day' on Thursday at university's Ravi Campus Pattoki.
The seminar was organised by faculty of fisheries and wildlife in collaboration with Higher Education Commission and British Council INSPIRE project and sponsored by World Wildlife Foundation. The purpose of celebrating World Water Day is to highlight the importance of freshwater and create awareness about the sustainable management and conversation of water as well as ecosystem.
Dr Pasha said that the Day would create awareness to protect our natural aquatic resources and their importance for food security in Pakistan. Dilating on fish he said it is a rich source of protein and can play a pivotal role in resolving the problems of malnutrition. It provides 26.2% of animal meat and is a growing food source in Asia along with other developing countries.
Fish and fish products provide an excellent source of protein due to their balanced amino acid profile, a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A and D, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, iodine, etc. Scientific evidences indicated that fish oil is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Keeping in view the dietary importance of fish, it is paramount to utilise all the available resources to develop fish industry through simple aquaculture practices, he added. Director Centre for Development Sustainable Government College University Professor Dr Amin Athar, Director WWF Ali Habib, Professor Dr Naeem Khan and Muhammad Ali from British Council talked about the importance of World Water Day.