‘Sindh facing droughts, heatwaves, cyclones, floods due to climate change’

Speakers at a conference urged the government to establish a climate change directorate at the provincial level, approve the climate change, drought mitigation and management policy, and formulate Sindh’s groundwater policy.

Titled ‘Climate Action and Adaptation: Way Forward for an Ecologically Sustainable Sindh’, the provincial conference was organised recently by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) at a hotel in Karachi.

A large number of people, including civil society representatives, officials of the government’s environment, climate change & coastal development and agriculture departments, community activists, environment experts and the Sindh government’s representatives, participated in the conference and shared their views on the environmental threats facing the province.

Nasir Panhwar, an environment specialist, said that it is true that climate change is a big problem for Pakistan, and it is because of human actions that are deteriorating our environment.

“Now there are only two seasons in Pakistan — winter and summer — instead of four seasons, and it’s because we’ve changed our environment,” he said, adding that fossil fuels such as oil, gases and coal are enemies of the environment.

He also said that droughts, heatwaves, cyclones and floods are occurring in Sindh due to climate change, adding that the sea level is also rising.

He further said Pakistan ranks fifth among the top 10 countries affected by climate change. “Urbanisation is rapidly increasing in Sindh, and therefore, there’s a need to improve the infrastructure of the province.”

He pointed out that Pakistan has signed the Paris Agreement, so now we must focus on the environmental issues affecting a large number of the population of the country. He stressed the need to launch a campaign for planting trees.

Amjad Baloch, the SPO’s regional coordinator, said Sindh is the most vulnerable because it is facing droughts and shortage of water, so there is a dire need to take proper measures to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“The change in climate is rapidly increasing, which is bringing destruction for the people of the country,” he lamented. He said the SPO is striving to protect the environment across the country.

Suneela Abdul Wasih, a representative of the environment, climate change & coastal development department, said climate change is occurring due to pressure on the environment.

“People are consuming fossil fuels, and the agriculture of the province is badly affected, so more funds are required to keep the environment safe,” she pointed out. She said the Sindh Climate Change Policy is in its final stage, and the provincial government is going to approve it soon.

She recommended providing awareness of climate change at the local level because a large number of people are completely unaware of it. She also recommended introducing technology to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Pushpa Kumari, a member of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, said that first and foremost, a climate change policy is important, so it needs to be formulated. “Droughts and floods are occurring in most parts of the province.”

She said the agriculture of the province is badly affected due to environmental issues. “Farming is at stake because of using bad quality urea in crops, and it’s also affecting our lives,” she added. She stressed the need to promote organic vegetables, and the local government’s involvement in protecting the environment.

Muhammad Idrees, the agriculture director, said climate change has been leaving harmful impacts on agriculture, and farmers are facing many problems because of it. He stressed the need to promote environment-friendly approaches. He suggested avoiding the use of pesticides, and introducing friendly insects for crops.

Regarding the water shortage in Sindh, he recommended constructing small dams at different locations in the province. He also stressed the need to introduce new varieties of seed.

Javeed Naib Laghari, the Sindh chief minister’s special assistant, stressed the need to raise awareness about climate change across the province and informing the people.

He said that it is the responsibility of the government to mitigate climate issues, but the people have to play their role to protect the environment. Riaz Hussain Shah, an adviser to the CM, said the Sindh government will take proper measures to protect the environment.

Through a resolution, the participants of the conference urged the government to introduce paperless offices at district level, abolish taxes on alternative energy sources, including solar energy and wind energy, make their importance known, and completely ban the manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags in the province.

They also urged the authorities to activate the early warning system at district level, create empowered disaster management authorities at district level, with the inclusion of women, and make people aware of the potential options of pesticides.