Islamabad:
The Federal Minister of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Senator Musadik Malik announced Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered to prepare an integral implementation plan of 300 days within 15 days to address the growing challenges of climate change, including the risks raised by monzónic rains and accelerated glacial fusion.
The directives occurred one day after Prime Minister Shehbaz declared a climatic and agricultural emergency in view of the monsoon rains in progress and the situation of floods throughout the country.
Speaking at a press conference flanked by the President of the National Authority for Disaster Management (NDMA), Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, the minister said the action plan would be developed in coordination with federal ministries, provincial governments, armed forces, welfare organizations and non -governmental organizations.
“We must act within our own resources, with the support of civil administration, welfare institutions and armed forces to safeguard our children and communities,” he said.
Read more: The government moves to declare climatic emergency
The minister added that the prime minister, during a recent cabinet meeting, had declared both a national climate emergency and an agricultural emergency. He said the measures were designed to prevent losses in the next season of the monsoon and from the glacial fusion. “This is not exclusive to Pakistan. The whole world is changing, and all nations must wake up with this reality,” he observed.
When reviewing the response to government floods, Malik said that more than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in Punjab, while Sindh was receiving early warnings due to delays in water inputs. “From Sialkot to Nanowal, Lahore, Shahdara, Jhang and Sargodha, two important flood waves have already been tracked, and one now approaches the head of Punjnad,” he said.
The minister chose the role of welfare organizations, saying that they had delivered more than 2,000 tons of help goods, while the provincial administrations and the military were working closely in the field. “In times of national crisis, we join: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltist and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This is a natural calamity, and we collectively face it as a nation,” he said.
Malik said the climatic action plan would end within a month and emphasize government commitment to preparation and resilience. “We pray that such devastation never comes again, but if it does, Pakistan will face him together, with preparation, resistance and faith,” he concluded.
The minister also revealed that Pakistan remains among the worst countries affected by climate change. He urged the provinces to guarantee the first preparations for the monsoon and praised the commitment of the private and well -being sectors in the help efforts. Severe damage was reported on Sialkot and Nareowal, while Sindh, he said, had already made caution arrangements. He also confirmed that the number of dead for rains and floods had increased to more than 930 throughout the country.
Read too: Punjab Floods: Millions of Displacement of the Face
Meanwhile, during an informative session on floods at the headquarters of the National Authority for Disaster Management (NDMA), the president of the NDMA, Lieutenant General Inam Haider, Malik, said that cattle and crops had been eliminated in many areas.
“The situation in the regions of Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab is under control, and rescue operations continue throughout the country,” said Inam Haider. “In Punjab, 2.4 million people have been transferred to safe areas, while in Sindh some 150,000 people have been transferred.”
He added that well -being organizations were supporting help efforts, to whom the NDMA was “grateful.” To reduce water pressure, embankments were deliberately violated in certain areas, he said.
According to Inam Haider, the Punjab government received ration packages and 9,000 tents, while more than 9,000 tons of food rations have been distributed throughout the province.
The NDMA head warned that crops had suffered serious damage due to floods, while growing temperatures accelerated the merger of glaciers. “From September 16 to 18, rain is expected in the center of Punjab and Azad Kashmiro,” he said. “We must act together to address climatic challenges.”
