Pakistan

Only one new MoCC project gets govt’s nod

Allocation for two ongoing projects amounts to Rs27m

Our Correspondent June 05, 2016

The government has allocated Rs1.27 billion for climate change-related programmes, with Rs1 billion earmarked for the GPP alone. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: Except for the prime minister’s Green Pakistan Programme (GPP) project, no new project of the Ministry of Climate Change could be incorporated in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the new fiscal budget.

The government has allocated Rs1.27 billion for climate change-related programmes, with Rs1 billion earmarked for the GPP alone.

The GPP is likely to be inaugurated this year with a tree plantation campaign with a target of 100 million new trees in the next five years.

The government has allocated Rs27 million for completion of two ongoing projects — establishment of Geomatic Centre for Climate Change and second phase of the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project.

The ministry had demanded Rs70 million for five projects including two ongoing and three new ones, but only two ongoing projects could impress planners for the budgetary allocation.

The government also approved Rs10 million to set up a Geomantic Centre, which was to be completed by 2015.

The objective of the project was setting up of spatial referenced data collection, processing and exchanging harmonised framework according to the needs of all users working in the area relevant to the atmospheric science, irrigation, agriculture, forestry, geology, lakes, marine resources and urban infrastructure for socio-economic development projects etc by enhancing and upgrading institutional capacity of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), the climate ministry in use of SRS, GIS and GPS for environmental monitoring and management.

The government has allocated Rs17 million for the SLM to combat desertification. The project started in 2013 is expected to be completed by 2018. The second phase of the project failed to kick off despite allocations in the previous budget.

The project aims to combat land degradation and desertification to protect and restore degraded ecosystems.

The government has also set aside Rs1 billion for an unapproved project “Revival of Forestry and Wildlife Resources in Pakistan” costing Rs2 billion. However, the PC-1 of the project is yet to be prepared by the forestry wing of climate ministry.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2016.