STAFF REPORT IBD: Speakers at a consultative workshop have said that the semi-arid regions in Pakistan are witnessing drastic environmental changes with increased rainfall and climate induced disasters, necessitating to have effective adaptation and policy planning to strengthen economic resilience of local communities to cope with their adverse effects.


Title of the workshop was ?Climate resilient economic development in semi-arid regions? which has recently been organised in Islamabad by SDPI.


Addressing the workshop, Shamsul Mulk, former chairman Wapda, asked for expediting work on institutional capacity building of related institutions to cope with emerging challenges of climate change.


He said that floods in Pakistan are regular phenomena causing damages worth billions of rupees every year and the only way to address this problem is through preparedness and structural planning.


Dr Azmat Hayat Khan, Director, Pakistan Meteorological Department, said that rainfall patterns in Pakistan are changing, where instead of Kashmir and Northern Areas, semi-arid regions particularly in KP and Punjab are now getting more extreme rainfalls events.


The participants underscored the need to protect people?s livelihoods and assets which are directly linked with their resilience and contribute towards economic development of the region. It was observed that another way to adapt to climate changes is diversification of livelihoods sources, with maximum policy level support along with support from developed countries.

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