PM Shehbaz orders ‘immediate’ formation of climate change task force

Task force will develop comprehensive strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday has ordered the immediate formation of a task force on climate change to develop a strategy to address the intense climatic changes in the country. 

The premier made the decision while chairing an emergency meeting on the recent heatwave and the effects of climate change.

The task force will include relevant federal ministers, secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, relevant provincial secretaries, chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and senior officials of other agencies.

PM Shehbaz's decision comes just two days after three children died because of the severe heat in the Kaccho region of Sindh. The rise in temperatures has also caused water and energy crises in several cities, apart from posing a threat to crops across the nation.

Read: PM Shehbaz takes notice of cholera outbreak in Pir Koh

The task force will develop a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country, prevent future events similar to the Shisper Glacier incident from occurring, take measures to prevent food and water shortages, conserve water and forests, and also protect existing reserves.

PM Shehbaz has also directed the task force to take steps for immediate implementation of policy for the aforementioned areas and to hold its first meeting this evening and present a comprehensive report at the next.

Emergency meeting on heatwave

PM Shehbaz chaired an emergency meeting to address the intense heatwave that has grappled the country for the past month.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Syed Khurshid Shah, Sherry Rehman, Ehsas-ur-Rehman Mazari, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Maryam Aurangzeb, Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz, and officials of relevant agencies. Federal Minister for Education Rana Tanveer Hussain and provincial secretaries also participated in the meeting through a video link.

The meeting was briefed in detail about the recent heatwave in the country. Climate change was emphasised as the main reason for the intense heatwave.

It is important to mention here that a searing heatwave continued to bake most parts of Pakistan as temperatures soared up to 51 degrees Celsius (about 124 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of climate change and is at high risk for water scarcity - despite having large reserves of glaciers.

All of this has a direct impact on Pakistan's agriculture as well as the quality of life.

The PM has directed the launch of a public awareness campaign for water conservation and called for immediate measures to be taken to store rainwater before the next monsoon.

Read More: Three children die as scorching heatwave bakes Pakistan

During the meeting today, the premier was also briefed on the water shortage in Cholistan. Taking notice of the developments, he has ordered the district administration and relevant agencies to supply water to human settlements and animals and to ensure immediate relief activities.

Further, the prime minister directed chairman NDMA to visit Hunza and ordered the reconstruction of the bridge that collapsed in the Shisper Glacier incident. The report on the progress on the construction of the bridge is to be presented in the next meeting.

Shehbaz also directed the Ministry of Education to implement SOPs to prevent the recent heatwave in government schools and to issue orders to private schools to implement them.

The Ministry of Health was also directed to immediately submit a detailed report on the research and possible effects of the new sub-variant of COVID-19.

Pakistan had recorded its first case of the latest sub-variant of Omicron, BA.2.1.2.1 – a new sub-variant that is responsible for a new wave of Covid-19 infections across the globe last week.