Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary and Member of National Assembly Romina Khurshid Alam on Wednesday emphasised the importance of forests in human life.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Serena Hotel, celebrated the World Water Day and the International Day of Forests, at the hotel in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The themes for the days this year were Water & Nature and Forests & Sustainable Cities. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Climate Change, international organiSations, government agencies, academia, the private sector, as well as the media and environment experts.

MNA Romina Khurshid Alam in her remarks emphasised the importance of forests in human life, forests’ threats, issues and suggestions to mitigate threats to the national forest cover. She also asked the participants to maintain silence for Kashmiri martyrs of recent Indian atrocities. Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan was not present due to his visit to Azad Jammu & Kashmir to show solidarity with people of Indian-Held Kashmir

On behalf of the minister for climate change, Environmental Federal Secretary Khizar Hayat Khan also explained that “due to the loss of forest covers in watersheds, the flow and quality of water has been reducing, giving rise to transboundary and riparian issues”.

Being an agri-based country, he continued, the economic loss is imminent due to reduction in the water flow.

“To reverse this situation we need to take drastic measures to increase the forest cover in the watersheds and rangelands,” he added. He further said that the situation was so dire that the government alone would not be able to tackle it and requires external assistance. “The role of each and every citizen is very important, as well as that of NGOs who are already contributing to increasing the forest cover in the country.”

In the welcome address, IUCN Country Representative Mahmood Akhtar Cheema quoted a recent study of drinking water quality conducted by IUCN Pakistan in the Federally Administered Tribal Area region that 97 percent samples were found unsafe mainly due to the presence of microbiological contaminations. Only 3 percent sources were found safe for drinking purpose. He proposed that the concept of water treatment through chlorination must be adopted at the government level.

Mahmood Akhtar Cheema shared that IUCN has been working with both government and civil society in Pakistan for over 30 years, with a view to develop nature based solutions to address these issues while spreading environmental awareness. IUCN works in partnership with the private sector to offset the impacts of their operations on the natural resources and ecosystems and to arrest the sea intrusion. IUCN Pakistan has implemented several projects on water issues as the prime focus.

Ministry of Climate Change Forests Inspector General Syed Mahmood Nasir said, “Pakistan needs to design urban forests that may result in a temperature reduction of 8-10 degree centigrade.”

Chamber of Commerce Islamabad (CCI) President Sheikh Amir Waheed suggested the need for increased afforestation in the country and further emphasised that the government should promote private sector investment in natural resource management. Federal Flood Commission Chairman Ahmed Kamal reflected on floodplains management and National Water Policy. United Nations Resident Coordinator of Pakistan Neil Buhne said that Pakistan was focusing on UN Agenda 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 11,13 and 15. “Pakistan is trying its best to address the water challenges,” he said.

Asian Development Bank Pakistan Country Head Xiaohong Yang mentioned in her remarks that Pakistan was in the list of top affected countries by extreme weather conditions. The Green House Gas Emissions are getting doubled in two years and by year 2050, it will increase up to 14 times. Food & Agriculture Organisation Country Representative Mina Dowlatchahi said, “For ensuring food security and sustainable development in Pakistan, it is important to take note of the nexus between food security, forests and water. There is a need for concerted and coordinated action to help conserve natural resources and protect our eco-systems.”

Ayesha Wafa Khan of Serena Hotel presented a vote of thanks and reflected upon the commitment of Serena Hotels about their environmentally sustainable business.

Published in Daily Times, April 5^th 2018.