By By Jan Khaskheli
Experts have warned that owing to constant sea rise coastal communities of Pakistan are vulnerable to natural calamities and even a rise of five feet in the sea level can prove to be disastrous.
Emphasising the need for urgency, they have stated that proper arrangements are needed to avert disaster. Experts discussed these points while speaking about the future challenges and threats to climate change at Ibrahim Hyderi where a 30-member delegation of the National Disaster Management Authority visited the office of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum on Friday. The order of the day was threats being faced by the coastal communities on the 1050-km long country coast.
PFF chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah briefed the delegation about the disasters that have hit the provincial coast in Thatta and Badin districts in the past, their effects; he also discussed the lack of preventive arrangements as far as future threats are concerned.
Ghulam Qadir Junejo, Ghazanfar Ali Shah, Abdul Jabbar Mahar and other district officials of Revenue Department from different districts were among the delegation. They are participants of a six-day workshop on Disaster Management going on in Karachi, sponsored by UNDP and their visit to coastal areas was the part of the activity. The delegation also visited coastal localities of Ibrahim Hyderi and Dabla Muhalla, which have been the most affected by high tides and rains.
The delegation was eager to specially involve PFF leadership in this process to avert chances of disasters and to make a comprehensive plan to help out the affected people in during emergencies. Shah informed the Disaster management Authority that around 1.7 million fishermen live around the 1050-km country coast and they are vulnerable to natural calamities. In the recent past they have faced threats and lost their abodes and belongings due to the erosion of the Indus Delta by the sea while hundreds of families have been displaced from their native areas due to the 1999 cyclone that hit Thatta and Badin.
Shah lamented that at the time the government failed to make the necessary arrangements leaving the facing in their own in their time of need. Shah told the delegation that Thatta and Badin coastal areas have already been declared disaster-prone areas after recent cyclones and need government attention to avert more loss in the future.
The visiting officials said they would present the community reservations before the concerned authorities and would discuss the matter further to make a comprehensive plan for the future.
They realised the fact that climate change consequently the rise in the sea level is an international phenomenon and they want to make a plan to save country coasts, community and national resources.