South Asia

bird Flu resurfaces: Pakistan confirmed a new outbreak of bird flu at a farm outside the southern city of Karachi on February 24. This is the fourth outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Karachi in February, but was limited only to fowl. Authorities have sent health teams to the area. Poultry officials say sporadic outbreaks of the disease have occurred in Pakistan, mostly in northwest region, since it was first detected in 2006.

Save the river: Environmentalists in Bangladesh have expressed grave concern over the pollution of the river Shitalakkhya, the main source of water to the capital city Dhaka, and urged the government to take urgent steps to stop the sources of contamination. After a field visit to the Demraghat and Kanchpur section of the river, the group said chemical wastes from mills and factories, and discharges from sewerage lines are directly pouring into the river round the clock causing serious water contamination. If not checked, groundwater in the city will also be contaminated in the future.