KARACHI: Environmental and climate activists have demanded that mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs) be conducted before approving any new housing scheme or commercial venture, warning that unchecked construction, particularly in ecologically fragile regions, is undermining Pakistan’s resilience against floods, landslides and torrential rains.
Speakers at a round-table discussion unanimously cautioned that housing schemes must never be permitted along riverbeds or in ways that obstruct waterways, as recent floods in Lahore have demonstrated the catastrophic consequences of such negligence.
They stressed that without EIAs, climate vulnerability would only worsen, leaving already fragile communities exposed to recurring calamities.
The event was organised by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry’s (FPCCI) Central Standing Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the FPCCI’s Capital Office in Islamabad, and attended by climate activists in person and virtually from different cities.
The participants demanded accountability of provincial authorities, environmental watchdogs and local administrations for their continued failure to check the unbridled expansion of the real estate, tourism and hospitality sectors.
They pointed out that these activities frequently cause deforestation, land erosion and blockage of natural waterways. Such unchecked growth, they noted, has repeatedly amplified the destructive impact of floods, heavy rains and landslides.
The discussion also drew attention to the fact that Pakistan ranks as the world’s fifth-largest emitter of methane, driven mainly by the unsafe dumping of urban solid waste.
Karachi alone, they highlighted, discharges 550 million gallons a day of untreated sewage and industrial effluents into the Arabian Sea, aggravating the country’s environmental fragility.
Zainab Naeem, environmental research fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, delivered the keynote address. She warned that the unchecked depletion of forest cover, largely at the hands of the “timber mafia”, has severely undermined the northern hilly regions’ ability to withstand climate shocks.
Zainab disclosed that of the $10 billion pledged internationally after the 2022 floods, only 24 per cent have materialised so far. She urged the government to enforce the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017, and guide the private sector towards domestic resource mobilisation for climate-resilient reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected communities.
Environmentalist Arif Afridi insisted that cities adopt sustainable models of development through the strict implementation of the provincial environmental protection acts to build resilience against natural disasters.
Afzal Butt, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, called on both the media and the parliament to allocate greater time to climate change debates. He argued that consistent coverage and discussion are essential to shape effective national policies against environmental threats.
Ayesha Khan, a development economist, pointed out that Pakistan has had environmental laws, regulatory systems and frameworks in place for over two decades. The real challenge, she said, lies in ensuring strict enforcement to better prepare vulnerable communities for the escalating climate emergency.
Entrepreneur Anila Fatima urged the FPCCI and other chambers of commerce to make it binding on their members in the real estate, tourism and hospitality sectors to comply fully with environmental laws.
Anila stressed that commercial ventures, whether housing schemes, hotels or restaurants, must be built with ecological safeguards, or they risk endangering lives and livelihoods.
Veteran businessman and former senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh expressed serious concern that certain officials within provincial environmental agencies have been compromised by corrupt practices, favouring industrial interests over public safety. He lamented that such behaviour undermines the very laws designed to protect the environment.
Air Vice Marshal (retd) Ijaz Mahmood Malik, former director general of Civil Defence, recommended expanding the country’s civil defence volunteer force in proportion to its rapidly growing population. Such a measure, he argued, is essential to strengthen national preparedness against disasters.
FPCCI Vice President Tariq Jadoon made the assurance that the FPCCI would work in close collaboration with civil society, state authorities and donor organisations to align industrial and business activities with environmental protection standards.
Karim Aziz Malik, head of the FPCCI’s Capital Office, pledged the FPCCI’s support for fundraising drives and humanitarian assistance initiatives to provide emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation for flood-hit communities.
Naeem Qureshi, convener of the FPCCI’s Central Standing Committee on SDGs, said the committee would continue to host seminars and interactive sessions involving government, private sector, civil society and industry stakeholders to develop actionable recommendations for reducing Pakistan’s climate vulnerability.
Haleema Khan, the standing committee’s deputy convener, also addressed the session, underlining the importance of existing mitigation measures and the urgent need to scale them up in the light of recurring climate emergencies.
The discussion concluded with a unanimous call that without mandatory EIAs, strict enforcement of environmental laws and accountability of provincial watchdogs, Pakistan would remain dangerously exposed to climate disasters.