On the backburner: Neglected environment sector sees share slashed by 59%

Only Rs900 million earmarked for environment, wildlife and forests departments

KARACHI: While the environment, wildlife and forests have never been a priority for the authorities, the provincial budget for 2015-2016 has only served to make their neglect clearer — the share earmarked for these three departments has been reduced by 59 per cent as compared to the outgoing fiscal year.

Although Rs2.2 billion were allocated in 2014-2015, a mere Rs900 million have been set aside for the departments in the upcoming year, while there is no mention of them in the non-development programmes. A chunk of Rs650 million will be given to the forest department along with Rs105 million for wildlife and Rs145 million for environment.

The environment department has only one new scheme planned for the next year, proposing the establishment of regional offices in Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi's Korangi Industrial Area. Meanwhile, three projects focusing on strengthening the environmental monitoring system and studying pesticides and chemical fertilisers, which were set to end this month, have been carried forward.

For the wildlife department, two new habitat restoration schemes — for Kirthar National Park and the Indus Dolphin Reserve — have been introduced, aiming for completion in the next three years. On the other hand, the forest department has been limited to ongoing projects for the conservation of the Indus Delta's mangroves and establishing biodiversity parks in Sukkur, Larkana, Ghotki, Thatta and Dadu.

Sindh Wildlife Department conservator Javed Maher pointed out that these sectors have always been low priorities for the provincial government. "The government has a tendency of neglecting them," he said. "However, the budget has a silver lining — for the first time, officers will be selected at the district level."

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2015.