APROPOS the news item, ‘Sindh government to set up climate change, environment, coastal development department’(April 29). With the setting up of this department, all functions relating to environment and climate change would be handled by one department. As climate change and environment are overlapping subjects, it is important that all departments and sectors bring climate change and environment on their agenda. Similarly, Sindh’s coastal areas face multiple ecological challenges, such as sea intrusion, loss of mangroves forest etc.

The Sindh government decision to set up a new department is correct. It is time that it moved beyond rhetoric and gave high priority to climate change and allocate more resources.

A separate cell should be set up in the Sindh Planning and Development Department, which can ensure that climate change is integrated in the overall development of the province.

The national climate change policy provides an overall framework and each province faces its own challenges related to climate change. Consequently Sindh should devise province-specific policies on climate change and disaster risk reduction, while mainstreaming it in overall development policy.

Adaptation to climate change and building resilience among ecosystems and the people to respond to climate variability and hazard threats are relatively new concepts. For this reason, networks for sharing experiences and ideas will have a fundamental role in helping to address adaptation within specific ecosystems. One hopes the new department would be able to deliver its mandate.

Nasir Ali Panhwar

Jamshoro

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016