Early warning system critical to counter impact of climate change: PM

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Nov 8 (APP):Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said Early Warning System was critical for adaptation and resilience of the countries afflicted by the adverse impacts of climate change.
Speaking at a roundtable here at the launch of the executive plans for the early warning system, he said the system worked as an important communication tool to inform people living in the far-flung areas about the natural disasters in advance.
This system gave enough time for the surveillance, forecasting and for dealing with the natural disasters by speedy relay of data, he added.
He said the use of modern technology and early warning system gave details about risks and protected from the natural disasters.
He said due to the early warning system, thousands of lives were saved after the sudden melting of Shishper Glacier in north Pakistan due to a long heatwave.
He said under this glacier was an unstable lake which caused floods in the Hunza valley every year. However, people were timely evacuated from the valley due to the automated weather station.
He recalled that due to the effects of climate change in 2022, in Hassanabad village on the Karakoram Highway, six houses, agricultural land, two hydro power projects and orchards were destroyed but there was no loss of lives.
The weather station was monitoring the glacier and every day the inflow and outflow of water in the lake was determined.
The system was monitored by the federal and provincial disaster management authorities, Shehbaz said adding this system worked better at places where training and awareness sessions were held in communities frequently.
Due to the early forecasting and the participation of community, the monitoring of glacier in Pakistan was a success story.
This system would be installed in other areas and valleys as well, he told adding this project was a collaboration of Ministry of Climate Change and United Nations Development Programme.
This was the first project of the Green Climate Fund and under the project six automated weather stations in Gilgit Baltistan and eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be installed, he explained.
The PM said this project also included irrigation channels and plantation to stop landsliding.
He said the early warning system not only saved lives but also lessened the impact of natural disasters on a country’s economy.
He said the framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-30 included measures to stop floods and decrease risks posed by natural disasters, improve disaster risk governance, make investments in disaster mitigation and reconstruction and rehabilitation.
He noted that the early warning systems helped in improving water, sewerage and health systems.
The warning systems were connected to mobile communication network and was effective in activating early response framework and projects.
He said temperatures in some cities of south Pakistan crossed the limit of 53 centigrade, adding the high temperatures were the cause of fires in forests.
He said Pakistan emitted less than one percent of the greenhouse gases but it was among the ten most affected countries of the world by climate induced emergencies.
Pakistan witnessed the worst floods this century, which was a matter of concern for the future, he added.