ISLAMABAD, March 21: During the last fifty years, Pakistan has suffered a cumulative financial loss of over Rs380 billion, while more than 6,000 people have died on account of major floods.

A press release issued by IUCN said severe droughts had also engulfed the region during 1998-2003. The Northern Areas, which houses some of the world's collection of frozen water bodies in the form of glaciers, faces serious threats due to erratic climatic conditions.

The IUCN said a programme had been launched through the Water and Nature Initiative with support of the government of Netherlands to rectify existing trends in demographics, consumption patterns and human-nature relationships to ensure that the demands for water resources are realistically achievable without compromising the ecological, biological and hydrological bases, and integrity of freshwater and related ecosystems.

Effective, long-term planning and disaster management strategies and mechanisms can limit the damage and subsequent losses accruing from natural disasters.