How significantly technology in today’s modern era, contributing its service for the betterment of mankind is said to be one of the significant factors of human prosperity and development problems around the globe. Sadly, the footprints of latest technological adoptions in Pakistan are still not bright as compare to the rest of the world.
Shall we be successful to start thinking technologically in coming years, is a hard question to be answered but it’s quite sure that we are playing a role of a catalyst for our future generations. If we get things in proper order today then they will be able to get maximum benefits from that scheme one day.
There are very few environment protecting agencies in Pakistan which implement projects for safeguarding the environment with the help of technology. The trend is getting widespread day by day but still it needs some time to circulate in all over Pakistan.
It will be a breath of fresh air for all of us living across Pakistan if we would become a mainstream helping hand for the agencies working with the core objective to tackle environmental problems of our country. It’s quite sure that we the humans are sole responsible for everything relating to harming or safeguarding the environment we live in. If we seriously want to provide our future generations a healthier environment we have to make sure that our everyday activities must be environment friendly.
Someone said ‘The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved. Likewise if we are not willing to contribute towards this remarkable step for securing Pakistan from the devastating environmental threats, one day everything will be tattered and we could never perceive with eyes the natural beauty around us anymore.
Pakistan has been witnessing some serious environmental problems over the years which include climate change, deforestation, land degradation, soil erosion, pollution, natural disasters etc. Though these all problems are interlinked with each other but these all do have significant effects on every living thing, which are enough to make us realize that how defenselessly we are dealing with our environment.
Many prominent nongovernmental organizations have been working in the country for a long time with the aim to overcome this serious issue but instead of appreciating their work rather we have been judging their work more critically and somewhere we make ourselves auditors and monitors when it comes to demonstrate the achievements and working ability of such nongovernmental organizations. How sick we are?
What could an environmental protecting organization do if the communities themselves are not cooperating sincerely to lend a hand in protecting the environment they live in?
Thousands of mobilization and sensitization sessions become ineffective when the same community keeps following the negative coping practices to harm the environment on the very second day of the deliverance. Off course, we have other economical and social issues too which enforces the rural communities living in far-flung areas of the country to carry on everything rather its environment friendly or against protecting the environment. But we also have to realize that if we want to spend more time on planet /earth we have to be more vigilant regarding conservation of environment and practice environment friendly as much as possible.
UNDP’s Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme has been working in the country since 1993 to overcome Pakistan’s environmental problems. It has successfully implemented 274 projects with the collaboration of local community based organizations CBOs/NGOs so that at one end a breathable environment can be provided to everyone where humans, animals and plants can survive for a long period of time while on other
I would say in a true sense if someone has brought some comfort in the lives of miserable masses of the country its UNDP’s Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme because the way it is dealing with environmental problems of Pakistan no one else could do. Right from Azad Jammu & Kashmir to undeveloped and remote villages of Sindh’s coastal belt the organization has been engaged with local CBOs/NGOs to uplift living standard of locals through introduction of environment friendly home appliances, to light up centuries’ old dark villages through fostering alternate source of energy (solar system), to conserve threatened animal and plant species through providing alternate livelihood resources to the people involved in damaging practice of such species, to promote social forestry in the towns and rural areas of the country, to rehabilitate the effected masses of natural disasters etc.
Its technological approach that insists people to join hands for the noble cause of shielding the environment or else it will be so complicated to disconnect people from the years old practices.
In this regard, what should be the role of communities is tricky to talk about because the folks are aware regarding the virtue of overcoming this dangerous issue but the thing which is missing in all of this is execution sincerely.
Author: Muhammad Abbas Khaskheli
(The writer is working as a Manager Programmes with an NGO. He is based from Badin and can be reached at abbaskhaskheli@hotmail.com)