Islamabad (GNP): Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik has called for integration of national institutions dealing with climate, glacier monitoring, early warning systems, satellite data and disaster management to ensure timely availability and effective use of climate-related data.
Addressing a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, chaired by Senator Sherry Rehman, the Federal Minister said Pakistan needed a coordinated mechanism through which relevant departments could automatically share data rather than waiting for formal requests from one another.
Dr Musadik Malik said the Prime Minister had constituted a committee under the Ministry of Defence to bring relevant departments and institutions onto a common platform. He said a virtual platform had already been developed as part of efforts to integrate the available information.
He said glacier and water systems were dealt with by the Ministry of Water Resources, while WAPDA was responsible for devices monitoring snowfall and glacier melt. Early warning systems fall under the Ministry of Defence, satellite data is handled by SUPARCO, while disaster-related matters are dealt with by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
“Whether civilian or defence-related, satellite data is with SUPARCO, while disaster management is the responsibility of NDMA. We need to bring these systems together so that the country can receive integrated and timely data,” the minister said.
Dr Musadik Malik said the government was also working towards establishing a new authority to deal with civilian weather-related matters. He said the proposed authority would also serve as the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination’s think tank. He added that proposals in this regard would be finalised and presented before the federal cabinet shortly.
Discussing glacier-related risks, the minister said glacier melt and flooding were two different phenomena and required different responses. “Dams can help control floods, but glaciers cannot be stopped,” he said, adding that glacier-related disasters could involve the movement of land and terrain and were therefore not simply a matter of water flow.
He said the government was exploring the use of digital twinning for better understanding and modelling of climate and glacier-related risks and stressed the need for establishing a digital laboratory.
Officials informed the committee that there were 115 potentially dangerous glacial lakes, of which 105 had unfrozen as of August 5. They said reliable data on the rate of glacier melt in Pakistan remained limited because glacier monitoring was an expensive exercise.
The committee was informed that the rate of glacier area loss in the Karakoram Highway region had increased from 3.2 per cent in the 1990s to 4.9 per cent during 2010–2020, while Karakoram glaciers had declined by around 12 per cent between 1990 and 2020. Dr Musadik Malik said glaciers were disappearing across the region at an estimated rate of around nine per cent.
The minister said data from areas where conventional monitoring was difficult was increasingly being obtained through satellite systems, while towers had also been installed at locations where data was previously unavailable.
On the Green Pakistan Programme, Dr Musadik Malik said the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination primarily played the role of a facilitator.
The meeting also discussed deforestation and timber smuggling. Senator Sherry Rehman expressed concern over alleged large-scale timber cutting and laundering, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and called for an audit of timber-related activity over the past 15 years.
The committee also discussed the use of plastic covers on books. Senator Sherry Rehman questioned claims by bookshops that biodegradable plastic was being used and suggested that schools and universities should promote the use of brown paper covers as an environmentally friendly alternative.
Also read: Pakistan Highlights Climate Finance and Digital Asset Reforms
The meeting was attended by members of the Senate Standing Committee, officials of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and representatives of relevant departments.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
