KARACHI: Between 1990 and 2005, the country lost 24.7 per cent of its forest cover, mainly due to rapid deforestation, experts discussed at a third Leadership for Environment and Development (Lead) Pakistan workshop on Monday.
The consultative workshop, held at Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP), aimed to map inter-sectoral linkages in policy planning and legislation between the forest and water sectors in Karachi and was attended by representatives of both sectors.
The participants agreed that there is a serious disconnect between forestry laws and water management policies and that there is a need for close interaction between forest and irrigation departments at the provincial level. The participants also believed that all relevant ministries and departments must work together.
According to a report, forests in Pakistan cover around 4.2 million hectares, which equals 4.8 per cent of the total area of the country. Since the global average of forest cover is around 27 per cent for developed countries and 26 per cent for developing ones, it is no wonder that Pakistan is termed as a country with low forest cover.
Added to this dismal scenario is the fact that once a water-surplus country with abundant water resources of the Indus River System, Pakistan is now a water-deficit country. At present, the annual per capita water availability in Pakistan is about 1,100 cubic metres, which is only 100 cubic metres away from chronic water stress, according to Population Action International, 1993.
It is for this purpose that Lead Pakistan has, with the financial assistance of Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, embarked on the venture of developing a plan for promoting synergies, cross linkages and reciprocities between forestry and water sectors at the level of policy, legislation and operational management.
As a first step in this direction, Lead has developed a report that reviews national and provincial laws of the forest and water sectors and presents a critical gap-analysis with respect to inter-sectoral linkages. The organisation now aims at presenting this report before the relevant stakeholders in a series of four country wide consultations for further deliberation. The fourth and final consultative workshop of the series is scheduled to be held in Islamabad in the third week of December.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2010.
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