‘For socio-economic uplift, sustainable use of land inevitable’

Speakers underscore effective management of land and water sources.

ISLAMABAD:

Sustainable use of land and depleting water resources is critical for sustainable socio-economic and environmental uplift, particularly food security and poverty alleviation.

This was stated by Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Muhammad Ali Gardezi at a consultative workshop on “Development of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Land Management in Pakistan” on Thursday.

“Sustainable management of land resources, combating expanding desertification, increasing area under forestry, promotion efficient use of irrigation water and environment-friendly agricultural practices are daunting but critical tasks for boosting efforts,” he said, while speaking to policymakers, planners, environmentalists, development and food security experts from government and non-governmental sectors.

“Pakistan, with 80 per cent of its land classified as arid or semi-arid, is faced with growing threat of desertification, land degradation and drought which is further aggravated by climate change impacts especially after 2010, 2011 and 2012,” the secretary stated.

Federal Climate Change Minister Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan said, “Misuse of land resources, unsustainable farming practices, haphazard construction activities, particularly on agricultural lands, misuse of natural water resources at farm, industrial and domestic levels have contributed to environmental degradation that incurred nearly Rs370 billion losses to the national GDP.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2012.