Protecting coastal areas of Sindh from sea intrusion

MPA Sharmila Farooqui said that the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology had already forecasted that the coastal areas of Badin and Thatta would sink in 30 years and Karachi in 60 years.

Protecting coastal areas of Sindh from sea intrusionShe stressed the relevant federal government institutions, including the water and power ministry, to conduct research studies and save the coastal areas of Sindh from sea intrusion.

She added that climate change was affecting socioeconomic development of Pakistan as the mean annual temperature in the country had increased.

She claimed that the Sindh government had adopted effective policies to tackle the environmental issue.

She added the sea level has increased in Pakistan due to the rising in the temperature.Temperature in Nawabshah surged to 50.2 degrees Celsius and it was the hottest day on earth ever recorded in April.

Climate change could disrupt food availability as it was likely to reduce access to food and affect food quality. She said the expected increase in temperature and changes in precipitation would also affect water availability.

She also raised concern over declining forest areas. The contribution of forests in our GDP is 0.4 per cent. Pakistan committed to increase its forest cover to 6 per cent under the Millennium Development Goals, which could not be achieved mainly due to financial constraints of the federal and provincial governments.

She said Pakistan was also facing loss of biological diversity in various region, particularly the Indus Delta, which had dried up. Pakistan was facing environmental challenges like many other countries, as it was located in a warm climate region and was more exposed to expected climate changes due to its diverse topographic and demographic settings.

The temperature changes under current conditions were expected to be higher in Pakistan in the long run than global averages so Pakistan was affected by drastic effects of climate change due to its geographical location and socioeconomic situation.

Pakistan faced flash floods, cyclones, heatwaves, droughts, glacial lake outburst and floods in the recent years carried significant climate change footprints. Pakistan suffered economic losses of more than $15 billion during the floods of 2010-2012. The unprecedented floods of 2010 were described by the United Nations secretary general as a slow moving tsunami.