MUZAFFARABAD: Speakers at a seminar on climate change and sustainable water management called for drastic measures on the part of every member of society to maintain the balance of nature, conserve natural assets of earth to make the life on this planet sustainable.
The seminar was held at Kashmir Institute of Management (KIM) under the aegis of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Environment Protection Agency (AJK-EPA)to mark World Earth Day here on Monday. For theyear 2019, theEarth Day themewas: ‘Protect our species’.
Raja Mohammad Razzaque, director general (DG) EPA, said that the aim of the event wasto createawareness about the negative impact of behavior of human beings towards the environment and earth as well as aboutpolitical actions and civicparticipation.
He said climate change was no longer a distant threat; it was a reality and the biggest challenge faced by the present generation.
“Climate change is not just an environmental issue but it has cross-cutting impacts over development strategies vis-à-vis future policies,” he said.
Mohammad Bashir Qureshi, DG of the Asian Development Bank funded Flood Emergency Resilience Rehabilitation Project in AJK said that water was an invaluable strategic asset on which socio-economic development of people depended, which was why water security could be rightly described as national security.
He pointed out that India was employing pressure tactics on Pakistan by announcing construction of dam after dams. Having low level opening in dams, India could use water as a devastating war weapon against Pakistan, he added.
Dr Raja Aurangzeb, chief conservator of forests in AJK, warned that temperatures would drastically rise within a decade but the problem could be controlled with tree plantation at a greater scale.
Dr Akram Kahlown, former chairmanPakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, gave an overview of water resource base, declining water availability and other major challenges in Pakistan.
He maintained that improvement of water resource management in Pakistan was linked with improved watershed management in AJK.
Mr Vakar Zakaria ofHagler Bailly, a consultancy firm in Pakistan, pointed out that AJK was home to some of the most endangered species of aquatic and wildlife, conservation of which warranted immediate attention and action by the government. Referring to Kashmir Catfish and Golden Mahaseer, he said the companies constructing hydropower projects at AJK rivers, should be made to pay for protection of aquatic life and its habitat.
Of the Musk Deer National Park in the upper belt of Neelum valley, Mr Zakaria regretted that around 450,000 goat and sheep of nomads would enter the wildlife reserve every year which needed to be regulated.
AJK minister for education and environment Barrister Syed Iftikhar Gillani, who was chief guest at the event, expressed gratitude to the speakers for their valuable inputs and said the government would make maximum possible use of its resources to achieve the goals within its reach.
He said ever increasing population was one of the biggest factors of climate change and added that the ‘population bomb’ was leading to deterioration of environment as people were cutting trees and disturbing natural habitat of wildlife out of necessity. He, however, said that some steps could be taken even without employing huge resources, such as planting a sapling.
“We have no option but to preserve our environment and contain climate change.”
The minister also criticised fencing of the Line of Control by India which he said had badly affected wildlife on both sides all along the dividing line and called upon the international community to take its notice.
Others who spoke included AJK’sadditional chief secretaries Dr Asif Hussain and Farhat Ali Mir,DGKIM Brig retired Akhtar Hussain Shah and EPA director Shafique Abbasi.
Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2019
