ISLAMABAD: United States Ambassador Donald Blome on Tuesday launched “Recharge Pakistan” — an ambitious climate initiative aimed at strengthening flood resilience and improving water security in some of the country’s most vulnerable regions.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services in Islama­bad, Ambassador Blome said the United States would continue to broaden and deepen its partnership with Pakistan to protect climate-vulnerable communities, and build a greener, more prosperous and climate-resilient future.

Building a coalition of common action is critical to meeting the climate crisis head on, and the United States is proud to join forces with Coca-Cola, Green Climate Fund, the World Wide Fund, and the Pakistan government on this landmark initiative, he said.

Recharge Pakistan’s network of green infrastructure projects will work to rehabilitate floodwater channels and reroute excess water away from where people live. It will try to reforest and restore wetlands to prevent dangerous runoff.

The USAID has contributed $5 million to a partnership with WWF and Coca-Cola Foundation. This partnership will leverage a $66m grant from Green Climate Fund (GCF) to complement natural systems (watershed, wetlands, drainage system, forestation) to enhance Pakistan’s climate resilience with the goal of reducing flood and drought risk across the Indus Basin.

The project will introduce an ecosystem-based approach and a network of green infrastructure to increase groundwater recharge, reduce flood hazard, promote climate-smart agriculture, support private sector engagement and strengthen policy environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.

Recharge Pakistan will implement these interventions in D.I. Khan and Ramak watershed (KP), Man­chhar Lake (Sindh), and Cha­kar Lehri watershed (Baloch­istan).

It will revitalise the soil’s ability to absorb excess water and store it underground. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 52,900 tonnes of carbon dioxide. And it will replenish water supply by creating 127 new groundwater storage basins.

Ambassador Blome said: “We can restore and rebuild nature’s ability to capture rainwater, filter it, and return it to the ground — making it available for families, to farmers, and to livestock. And that’s exactly what we will do — together with our partners — through Recharge Pakistan.”

The US envoy said that ‘Recharge Pakistan’ would reduce flooding hazards for more than 50,000 hectares. It will provide Pakistani families, businesses, and farms access to clean, fresh water year-round.

And it will improve the livelihood of 687,000 people and indirectly benefit more than seven million people across Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, he added.

In recent years, through the US-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework, we have partnered with both industry and the Pakistan government on renewable energy, smart agriculture and water management, Donald Blome said. “Our efforts have created new opportunities for Pakistani businesses to access climate financing from offshore, opening up new opportunities and creating jobs,” the US ambassador added.

“We have supported startups to bring new technologies and skills to Pakistan’s labour force. The United States has provided $5 billion to the Green Climate Fund. And together, we are bringing new investment in renewable energy to help Pakistan achieve its ambitious goal of reaching 60 per cent renewable energy by 2030.”

Vulnerability to climate change

As the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is already feeling effects of the climate crisis every day. The devastating floods in 2022 displaced eight million people and caused over $15bn in economic losses.

Donald Blome said: “Rising temperatures have taken a toll on the country’s majestic glaciers. And Pakistani farmers have seen crops wither under droughts. But by coming together, we can help communities adapt, mitigate, and even reverse some of the worst impacts of climate change. And we can do it in a way that lifts up local communities.”

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2024