Nuaman Ishfaq Mughal
Islamabad: Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has said that climate change was the greatest threat the world has ever faced.
Referring to the deadly floods that drowned half of Pakistan recently, the PM said that the floods that wreaked havoc in Pakistan last summer speak volumes about the catastrophic impacts of climate change.
He said that Azad Kashmir also faced severe climate challenges, due it’s peculiar landscape. Flash floods, cloudbursts and rising temperatures in Azad Kashmir , he said, was the result of fast melting glaciers.
“Melting of glaciers have a direct effect on the region’s climate and environment”, he said, adding that the Government of Pakistan should provide funds to the Government of Azad Kashmir so that it can deal with climate impacts effectively.
The PM said that the temperature of other cities, including the capital city Muzaffarabad, has increased rapidly in the past few years, which is having harmful effects on the population and environment.
He said that it was unfortunate that no lessons whatsoever had been learnt from the deadly earthquake of 2005. “Rotten material is still being used in the construction process”, he said, adding that all concerned departments and authorities have been strictly instructed that there will be no compromise on substandard constructions.
He said that Pakistan was one amongst the countries affected by climate change. “During the terrible earthquake of 2005, a large number of deaths were also caused due to poor construction style”, he said.
He said that it was unfortunate that the political leadership at that time played politics to protect their interests when the whole world stood at our doors with millions of dollars in hand to build these broken and abandoned cities on modern foundations.
” We are grateful to all the countries and institutions that helped the Kashmiri people in the recovery and reconstruction after the earthquake of 2005″, the PM said.
He said that the government was going to bring a big change in its policy to improve the existing cities and to build new cities. “Practical steps will be taken soon to utilize the services of experienced and professionals for town planning, construction quality and sustainability”, the PM added.