We are either preachers, prosecutors or politicians. For now relief and rescue must be the main goal. Once the storm settles then utilize scientific knowledge to see what can be done better to brace this challenge.
#FloodsInPakistan
Monsoons are the lifeblood of the subcontinent economy and ecosystem. It requires scientific investigation all the way from mountains to mangroves. Pakistan needs watershed management, disaster Risk management, afforestation and resilient infrastructure.
We need a national plan for river management, master plan the river banks, align the policies towards muncipalities bracing environmental challenges at the local level.
As they say Trust in God but tether your camel first.
#floodrelief
One thing we must realise is that Climate Change in the context of Pakistan is Water Change. We used to have low impact high frequency floods and now high impact low frequency floods. We have both surplus and scarcity problem.
64 % Pakistanis are deprived of Safe and Clean drinking water. Pakistan wastes USD 21 billion worth of water into the ocean. We are poor water managers.
We have too little and yet too much water. We have issues of urban flooding. The best is to plan and manage the peaks and flows. It is important that how Pakistan uses water.
Water management is a reference point for Pakistan however the long term is water stewardship. Pakistan needs to take catchment based actions with a stakeholder inclusiveness.
The climate change solutions require a larger canvas for situating the subject on a regional scale. We should realize that the climate change problem is an interconnected issue way beyond provincial or national boundaries.
Both India and Pakistan have digressed from the spirit of international water treaties. It is the time when neighbours must collaborate on sharing climate knowledge and practice. Early warning systems both in technology and societal form can work as a first defence line.
Situating water issues in a national context is a narrow and oversimplified way of defining the problem. According to UN Water Program, there are 260 transboundary river catchments and 300 transboundary aquifers. We must look beyond our national fencelines.
Pakistan needs to implement water governance. Water scarcity combined with extreme flooding and drought events has become annual calendar events. The World Economic Forum has reported water crises among the top five global risks for each of the past nine years.
The UN Secretary-General is pleading with the world to help Pakistan not on matters of generosity but on the principle of justice. In our hearts, we all know very less will come out of this yet Pakistan needs massive investment in building climate-resilient infrastructure.
Pakistan needs to showcase its green projects with a compelling story of its adaptation and social impact. It must put in place mechanisms to attract green and social investments. Frameworks for allocation and use of climate funds.
On the receiving side, Pakistan must adopt actions to make a way for attracting climate funds, green and clean credits, and growing domestic climate funds through mainstreaming ESG in the corporate sector.
In Pakistan, urban and periurban areas are encroaching on rural lands, including river beds. This contaminates groundwater, ends up creating poor sanitation conditions for people who live near faultlines, and also causes disease outbreaks like cholera, malaria, and dengue.
The majority of natural drains that once removed stormwater have been converted to sewer drains. Surface and groundwater sources are further contaminated as a result of stormwater mixing with sewage drains. Ironically, Nullah Leh in Rawalpindi is a good illustration.
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