Pakistan needs research-backed policy to mitigate impact of changing monsoon patterns

Experts say erratic weather impacts regional socio-economic factors

ISLAMABAD:

With the South Asian region facing extreme and unpredictable precipitation, there is a need for research-backed policy to help mitigate the impacts of suddenly changing monsoon patterns.

This was stressed by speakers from around the region during a webinar on the “Impacts of Climate Change on South Asian Monsoon”. The seminar had been organised by the COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS).

CCCS head Ambassador (retired) Shahid Kamal said that monsoon is one of the world's most important weather systems. He deemed the understanding of changing weather patterns in the region as imperative for reliable monsoon forecasting.

Speakers participating in the webinar included: Dhaka University Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Ismail, Nepal Tribhuvan University Associate Professor Dr Madan Sigdel, Pakistan Meteorological Department Director Dr Zaheer Babar, Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology Director Anusha Rashanti Warnasooriya, and Thailand’s National Astronomical Research Institute Senior Researcher Dr Vanisa Surapipith.

The speakers discussed the repercussions of increasing monsoon variability for Nepal as well as disasters caused by extreme weather events along with current trends and future projections about the shifting patterns of monsoon in various parts of Pakistan. They also discussed the calamitous impact of summer monsoon in Sri Lanka marked by flooding and drought, the impact of atmospheric aerosols, and non-renewable energy resources on precipitation patterns and the mitigation strategies being taken by Bangladesh to curb the fallout of climate change.

Some key recommendations made during the webinar called for the research-backed policy to help mitigate the negative impacts of suddenly changing patterns of monsoon on environmental and socio-economic conditions of the South Asian region.

Moreover, they said that appropriate allocation of resources was critical to strengthening the scientific and technical capacity of regional countries as well as the enhanced regional cooperation to promote sharing of good practices and sustainable solutions to aid adaptation with variable trends of monsoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2020.