Call for measures to cope with climate change threat

SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday cautioned against the looming climate threat to South Asian countries and the need for joint action to counter this alarming situation.

Talk to a delegation of women led by Ayesha Abdullah Butt, he said according to several studies, climatic variability is “greater in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) mountainous region of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan than in other parts of the world.” He said that glaciers are one of the most important indicators of climate change. The HKH region hosted some of the world’s largest glaciers, a major water source of the Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, he said.

He said climate change affects the hydrological cycle, influencing both water availability and demand. He said as water became scarce, its demand would also increase. He said that Asian Development Bank, in its 2014 report, also underscored the impact of climate change in South Asia.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2022.