ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is amongst the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change in the context of a series of disastrous floods, unliveable heatwaves and rapidly melting glaciers. This was stated by Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman Meher Kashif Younis Monday, adding that the country would possibly face numerous climate-induced extreme changing weather conditions in the future as the government is required to chalk out a suitable plan to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the country.
Speaking to a delegation of traders and industrialists led by Mian Zeeshan Elahi, CEO of Marvel Cables, Meher Kashif said just two weeks ago, there were at least two clear reminders of the hazards natural disasters pose to the safety of the masses, adding that several lost their lived amid a landslide incident near the Torkham border at Darra Adam Khail when tons of rocks and mud came crashing down upon truck drivers.
Impact of Climate Change in Pakistan
Meanwhile, thousands of people travelling to GB for Eid were stuck on the high-altitude Karakoram Highway due to landslides and heavy rainfall in the area. In addition, a bridge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Uchar Nallah area that was washed away during last year’s devastating floods has yet to be rebuilt.
He said the biggest extreme weather event in recent history was the super monsoon flood last year, and millions of people have yet to be fully recovered from the impacts of that calamity. He said it’s high time for the concerned authorities to work out a master plan to address the anthropogenic factors that increase the impact of natural disasters, and secondly, they must come up to build climate-resilient infrastructure which can resist the worst effects of disasters.
Meher Kashif said it is well-documented that rapid deforestation both in the north and southern parts of Pakistan has added to the ferocity of these disasters. Moreover, when these forests are cut down, other things can hardly stop the raging waters and mounds of earth and rock from flowing down in the form of landslides adding that there were issues of building illegal structures mostly close to the banks of rivers.
This has resulted in huge destruction of property as images from Swat, Dir, Shangla and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of the merciless torrents washing away hotels and other precious assets during last year’s devastating floods should be taken as a vivid reminder. He said there was also the issue of glacial lake outburst, which is usually caused by unusually high temperatures in the higher altitudes of Gilgit Baltistan and KP.
He pointed out that while taking the temperature down was beyond Pakistan’s ability and is a global challenge, the state can play a more vital role in enabling the infrastructure to be more resilient to cope with the effects of climate change and extreme weather events.
