ISLAMABAD, Nov 17 (APP):Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Malik, on Monday emphasised the importance of evidence-based policymaking to strengthen resilience in the country’s most vulnerable communities.
Speaking at the Population Council’s launch of the District Vulnerability Index of Pakistan, Dr Malik highlighted the country’s widening inequalities in access to safe water, education, and secure housing, calling for urgent national attention.
“The report exposes a deeply uncomfortable truth about basic public services,” he said. “We have never truly asked why access to safe water remains so difficult. Clean water, education, and safe housing are not amenities but fundamental rights.”
Linking Pakistan’s social disparities to rapid population growth, Dr Malik argued that stabilising demographic pressures is essential for securing a better future for the coming generations.
He warned that unchecked population growth exacerbates environmental degradation, strains public services, and deepens inequality.
“Sustainable development requires effective population management, responsible family planning, and a national shift towards long-term resilience,” he said, adding that high fertility rates increase health risks for mothers and children, place heavy pressure on national resources, and limit opportunities for employment and social mobility.
Improving urban services, he noted, is impossible without addressing population-driven stress on infrastructure.
The District Vulnerability Index, developed by the Population Council, measures the exposure of districts across Pakistan to social, economic, and environmental risks. Even better-performing districts, the report notes, reveal systemic weaknesses nationwide.
Nearly 10 million people reside in Pakistan’s most severely affected districts—primarily in Balochistan and the former FATA region—where population pressures and climate-induced vulnerabilities intersect.
More than two million children in these areas face an “uncertain educational future” due to inadequate schools, poor infrastructure, and persistent socio-economic hardship.
Around 65 per cent of residents live in temporary or makeshift shelters, reflecting chronic poverty and mounting climate stresses.
Dr Malik reiterated that justice cannot be delivered if citizens continue to struggle for fundamental necessities.
The Population Council stated that the new index aims to guide policymakers, provincial governments, and development partners in targeting resources to communities most in need, particularly as climate change intensifies existing inequalities.
