People are talking about —

— the campaigns to give polio drops to children and how many parents resist from letting them be administered to the children, much to the detriment of their health. People say that though there are awareness drives in the media they are rather weak and wishy-washy and what is needed is a strong crusade like repetition of videos showing the active healthy lifestyle of vaccinated children in comparison to those who are crippled by polio so the message has an impact.

— the sad fact that about 20 Indus Blind dolphins - rare mammals and the second most endangered species in the world - die each year, so a thorough scientific study should be conducted to find out why. People say monitoring of the dolphin population should be done by international experts; gillnet, overfishing and illegal fishing practices should be stopped and the water from upstream dams should be released by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for the survival of these innocent creatures.

— the dilapidated state of the massive, historic Kot Diji Fort, which shows the apathy of the relevant authorities and not only them but the general public also shows this careless attitude towards such marvels of archaeology. People ask if there is no one to look after and preserve such a magnificent piece of architecture and will such glorious structures continue to decay and crumble, depriving the country of its glorious heritage as well as tourism attraction.

— the rather surprising fact that controlling pollution in residential areas also falls under the purview of the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) but not much is done in regard to this hazard. People say the air quality is in recession in the metropolis, making it the tenth most vulnerable city on the list of cities with worsening air quality, so the agency should also pay attention to this pressing issue as it affects the health of thousands of residents.

— how in this day and age the dowry system is still prevalent in Pakistan, a cruel practice which leads to gender discrimination by making families pay what is effectively a financial penalty for having a daughter, while sons become a means of getting money. People say many families have been financially ruined by this practice and brides from families who are deemed to have given too little are mistreated by their in-laws, so it is time the government banned this practice.

— the quota system in education under which some underprivileged groups have reserved seats in educational institutions as it aims to promote diversity and inclusiveness as well as access to education for them. People say there are some disadvantages to the system - it limits possibilities for non-quota students; they might not be sufficiently prepared for the level of instruction they are getting and more importantly, improper implementation can result in major problems like corruption, nepotism and a lack of meritocracy.

— the fact that recently essential medicines including syrups, injections and ointments are being removed from stores to market other products, disregarding the health and safety of patients as these are not tried and proven, making patients wonder whether it’s the work of pharmaceutical companies or government policy. People say poor implementation of laws and a lack of accountability have allowed such practices to continue and many people have already suffered the consequences of this method of introducing new medicines. — I.H.