Daily Times

KARACHI: Speakers at a seminar on ‘Climate Change and Importance of Tress’ have said that deterioration of ecosystem is causing a loss of Rs 365 billion per annum to the national kitty.

The seminar was organised by Hamdard Naunehal Assembly on Monday.

Speaking as the chief guest, the Sindh government Institute of Environment Protection Director General Naeem Mughal said that the deteriorating ecosystem in Pakistan is inflicting a loss of Rs 365 billion annually to the national exchequer, forcing the Sindh government to spend an additional amount of Rs 1.8 billion on health sector due to increased pollution and contaminated drinking water.

“No doubt global warming is an international issue and Pakistan is the 110th country on the list of those countries that produce huge greenhouse gases, but Pakistan is the second most badly effected country in the world hit by the climate change,” he said, adding that it was the result of those activities that has created imbalance in natural ecosystem.

“Pakistan is an agrarian country and major segment of its population depends on agriculture, but rural economy is on the verge of devastation because of severe floods and change in the rainy system due to climate change,” he said, adding that his institute had made a framework to meet the challenges of climate change and new laws were being incorporated by the Sindh government accordingly.

He said that the garbage, refuse and untreated water of the factories was being thrown in the sea and downstream water, resulting in escalation of waterborne diseases in Karachi and other parts of the province.

He claimed that the environment institute with the collaboration of other departments concerned did not allow the recent heatwave to repeat the death toll as only four people died due to heat stroke this year though the heatwave was more severe than last year.

Earlier addressing the seminar, Hamdard Foundation Pakistan President Sadia Rashid said that plants and trees were environment friendly and great source of obtaining the oxygen – the life line of human beings. “Trees provided us fresh air, fruits, flowers, various eating items and also carried water down to the depth of soil and thus increased the underground water level; they are also helpful in reducing the environmental temperature and to stop wind storms and floods’ torrents.

She suggested to ban unnecessary cutting of trees throughout the country, and establish a ‘tree monitory authority’ in every province to promote plantation and keep an eye on illegal cutting of the trees. Young speakers including Hafiza Arooba Fatema, Ubaidur Rahman, Anabat Fatema, Syed Zahoor Shah, Ghina Jamil, Hamna Shakil, Arfa Sadiq, Umema Shahid and Raeesa Mukhtar also spoke.