Speakers at the 2nd international conference on sustainable utilization of natural resources have urged the need for adopting to modern extracting techniques of mineral extraction in order to save the nonrenewable capital from getting wasted. They said that the poor extracting techniques in mineral exploration has not only depleted them but has led to serious health hazards for manpower working there. They opined that people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA were the major victims of serious diseases like Cancer and Asthma because of the same.

The one day international conference was jointly organized by the National Centre of Excellence in Geology (NCEG) University of Peshawar, in collaboration with University of Swabi.  The international conference brought together more than 100 scientists, engineers and planners from Pakistan as well as abroad who highlighted the different ongoing developmental programs in their countries.

The theme of the one day Conference was to discuss the ways and means to tap the Oil and Minerals Resources, Dimension Stone and Infrastructure, Sustainable Agriculture and effective strategies for climate change adaptation.

The participants in their papers shared that Pakistan has as many as 300 billion tons of minerals reserves. However due to poor extracting techniques more than 80% of it gets wasted which is alarming. They added that Pakistan has the sixth largest mineral resources in the world and shall be forerunner in exporting minerals as finished good and not in raw form so that economy of the country could be strengthen.

Provincial Minister for Labor and Minerals Ms. Aneesa Zeb was the chief guest of the conference while Vice Chancellor UoP Prof. Dr. Muhammad Rasul Jan was the guest of honor. Vice Chancellor Swabi Prof. Dr. Noor Jehan, VC FATA University Prof. Dr. Tahir Shah and Director National Centre of Excellence in Geology Prof. Dr. Irshad also attended the conference as key note speakers.

The Minister in her speech elaborated the Government strategy towards sustainable utilization of resources. She said that for the same purpose a comprehensive Mineral Development and Regulation Ordinance has been enacted, while the government was receptive of any research based improvement in its policy that may lead to maximizing end usable products through minerals extraction.

Ms. Aneesa Zeb said that mineral resources are nonrenewable and fast depleting that is why the policy circles are waiting for input from scientists to suggest ways of enhance utilization. She added that concrete suggestions and outcomes of the conference would be made part of the mineral policy of the province.

Vice Chancellor  UoP Prof. Dr. Muhammad Rasul Jan in his speech said that for reducing the loss of natural resources skilled human resource was needed and policy circles  should pay more attention towards training the mine workers etc. He commended the contribution of the National Centre of Excellence in Geology in leading the way in exploration of natural resources.