‘Country faces drought if vegetation not increased’
Environmental experts say deforestation occurring at fast pace
Representational image of drought. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
Environmental experts said on Sunday that Pakistan could face the worst drought and flooding if the maximum area would not be brought under vegetation cover.
Renowned Environmentalist Kashif Mehmood Salik said that in recent years, the largest city of the country, Karachi, had been facing the worst heatwave impact, due to which more than 60 people had died. "Following the heatwave, many people had died or were affected by heat related illnesses across the country," he added. According to the Global Climate Risk Index report released by the public policy group German Watch, Pakistan was among the 10 most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis in the world.
To a query, he said that due to its geographic location amidst the Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, Pakistan was witnessing an increase in temperature at an alarming level.
Pakistan Meteorological Department officials confirmed that due to massive tree cutting the climate crisis pattern was affecting the demography of the country, adding that in the southern city of Turbat, the people witnessed a sizzling heat level during summer of 2017, when the temperature hit a record 53.5 degrees Celsius.
Another expert, Mehmood Khalid Qamar, said that deforestation and eco-degradation were occurring at a fast pace and glacial melt, riverine and flash floods were occurring with irregular patterns.
Qamar added that most of the climate crisis-related disasters were affecting the natural water resources, agriculture, irrigation, health and other sectors.
According to the Punjab Forest Department’s data, the current rate of deforestation in the country is 27,000 hectares per year, while the total area under forest cover is 4.4 million hectares.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2020.
Environmental experts said on Sunday that Pakistan could face the worst drought and flooding if the maximum area would not be brought under vegetation cover.
Renowned Environmentalist Kashif Mehmood Salik said that in recent years, the largest city of the country, Karachi, had been facing the worst heatwave impact, due to which more than 60 people had died. "Following the heatwave, many people had died or were affected by heat related illnesses across the country," he added. According to the Global Climate Risk Index report released by the public policy group German Watch, Pakistan was among the 10 most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis in the world.
To a query, he said that due to its geographic location amidst the Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, Pakistan was witnessing an increase in temperature at an alarming level.
Pakistan Meteorological Department officials confirmed that due to massive tree cutting the climate crisis pattern was affecting the demography of the country, adding that in the southern city of Turbat, the people witnessed a sizzling heat level during summer of 2017, when the temperature hit a record 53.5 degrees Celsius.
Another expert, Mehmood Khalid Qamar, said that deforestation and eco-degradation were occurring at a fast pace and glacial melt, riverine and flash floods were occurring with irregular patterns.
Qamar added that most of the climate crisis-related disasters were affecting the natural water resources, agriculture, irrigation, health and other sectors.
According to the Punjab Forest Department’s data, the current rate of deforestation in the country is 27,000 hectares per year, while the total area under forest cover is 4.4 million hectares.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2020.