Experts for aligning climate-friendly tools with SDGs for economic uplift

LAHORE: Experts stressed the need of aligning climate-resilient Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve sustainable development and economic prosperity of the country.

Speaking at a moot organised by WaterAid in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), the experts said the effort would pave the way to join the league of upper-middle-income countries by 2030.

The experts said this national commitment highlights the importance of aligning policy frameworks, investments, and initiatives with the SDGs to drive progress across all sectors, including Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

Dr Shakeel Hayat, senior advisor at Climate Change and WASH, WaterAid Dr Shakeel Hayat, underscored the importance of access to WASH for health and sustainable development, especially in regions vulnerable to climate change, pandemics, and conflicts.

“Millions of people lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities, leading to significant health and economic challenges,” he maintained. He said WASH is a critical element of humanitarian discourse in the context of Pakistan’s vulnerability to climatic hazards, which both exacerbate humanitarian emergencies and hinder development progress. This calls for the need to ‘build back better’ in anticipation of extreme weather events leading to droughts, heat waves, floods, and urban flash floods.

M Awais Umar, lead author of the Policy Brief, highlighted the importance of the WASH in terms of health, education, gender equality, and climate action in Pakistan. The brief highlights the need for investments in climate-resilient WASH infrastructure, public-private partnerships, and gender-sensitive services to improve health outcomes and foster economic growth, ultimately aiming to align national policies with global sustainable development objectives.

M Sufyan, Punjab and KP manager of WaterAid said the pathway to achieving sustainable development lies in integrating climate resilience into WASH systems. Bushra Khaliq from Women in Struggle for Empowerment said safe drinking water has become a class question in the country, whereas depleting groundwater and pollution was increasing that forced women to travel to far-flung areas for accessing clean drinking water.

Shahnawaz Khan from Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) said local government was responsible for ensuring WASH facilities but the province of Punjab lacked any local government for past many years.

Dr Uzma Ashiq, in charge Gender and Development Studies Department, Lahore College Women University, said the varsity had started various activities with Water Aid and every student was bound to implement community work.

“Our student won UNESCO Award on water and sanitation to save water in different household activities. Such university students can be utilized as ambassadors of WASH in their regions,” she added.

Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority officials also apprised the participants that carbon credit guidelines were being developed by the Authority along with green credits that were being introduced in the province that also emerged as a critical opportunity for all stakeholders to develop synergies on the issue with respect to WASH targets.