The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), in collaboration with the Center for Peace Development (CPD), BRDS, and IDO, organized a seminar to celebrate World Environment Day. Themed “Our Land, Our Future,” the seminar aimed to raise awareness about the adverse effects of climate change on human lives and the environment and the role of all stakeholders in addressing this issue effectively.
Governor Balochistan Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail was the chief guest of the seminar. The seminar highlighted climate change as the biggest challenge of the 21st century, especially for Pakistan, one of the top five countries most affected by its extraordinary impacts.
While addressing the seminar, Governor Mandokhail urged the need to strengthen public-private partnerships to mitigate the risks of climate change. He quoted an environmental expert who discussed the water scarcity issue in Quetta, stating that the city needs another 300 years to control the alarming degree of water depletion.
He added that almost 70% of people in Balochistan are dependent on agriculture and cattle, and if a coordinated plan is not developed, there will be dire repercussions in the near future, which need immediate attention and consistent policies to overcome this issue.
To reduce the threat posed by climate change, natural disasters, deforestation, and land degradation, he urged for changing legislation and planting saplings domestically.
