Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has said that Pakistan is one of the three countries in the world where there is a severe water crisis.
According to a media report, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had in a meeting yesterday directed to form a task force on climate change, after which Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman in a press conference warned that by 2025 Pakistan will face severe water shortage.
Sherry Rehman called for changes in lifestyles and attitudes of people and water conservation, saying that Pakistan was one of the three countries in the world which had water crisis and was ranked 10th in the list of countries affected by climate change.
In a press conference with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz and Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Climate Change Jodat Ayaz, the Federal Minister said that several steps should be taken to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country.
She said that the current ‘heatwave’ in the country was a result of climate change, adding that despite having huge reserves of glaciers, Pakistan is at risk of water scarcity which is a matter of great concern.
She said that Pakistan emits less than one percent of global emissions but due to other countries it is one of the worst affected countries in the world.
She warned that more glaciers would melt in the future, which is a cause for concern.
The Federal Minister said that the Indus River is the lifeblood of the country as agriculture is heavily dependent on it.
Sherry Rehman emphasized the need for co-ordination among all stakeholders and urged the citizens to use water wisely and avoid wastage.
She said her ministry would formulate a climate communication strategy to create public awareness about climate change.
In a message released on her Twitter account after the meeting, she said that water, even if the rains help the water level, would have a serious impact on food security.
She said that Pakistan is one of the top 10 Countries at Risk of Climate Stress and the Climate Council needed to meet and engage with a task force to seriously consider urgent priorities.
In response to a question, she hinted that the government may not stop the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami project started by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
She said that there are two such projects, Billion Tree Tsunami and 10 Billion Tree Tsunami.
The Federal Minister said that the previous government had faced many question marks and inquiries, including the investigation of the National Accountability Bureau but the present government would take steps for its transparency.
The Minister for Climate Change said that the 10 billion Tree Tsunami, a joint venture between the federal and provincial governments.
In this project, there was a significant performance of the Sindh government with 63%, followed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government with 56%.