ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman said the Task Force on Climate Change presented SOPs for Prevention and Control of Forest Fires has been established on the directives of the prime minister.
“The SOPs direct actions for risk reduction, prevention and immediate response on low and high-intensity forest fire outbreaks for the federal and provincial authorities for immediate response and action,” she said while chairing the third meeting of the Task Force on Climate Change, attended by the Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Shah, provincial chief secretaries and other stakeholders.
Rehman said although our remit is strictly federal, we cannot ignore the forest fires raging across the country due to the heat wave and dry weather that sparks fires. “This is why a Climate Change Task force was set up at the Federal Ministry for Climate Change (MOCC). All chief secretaries of all provinces, GB and AJK are in this task force which first met at Prime Ministers House and then has been meeting regularly at the MOCC along with NDMA and related departments,” she said.
Later, the federal minister addressed a press conference over the recent incidents of forest fires in Swat in Tehsil Kabal and District Bari Kot and the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) and said the fires in District Bari Kot are still raging while other seven sites of the forest fires have been controlled by the provincial teams.
Rehman said it must be recalled that this summer is warmer and April to June is traditionally the fire season in Pakistan, but the number and frequency of forest fires this year is worrying, and linked to climate stress. She said the control room established by the MOCC is active and has mobilized the staff for ground and aerial response to the incidents.
“At least three of these have been reported only today in the Margallas,” she said. Focusing on the timely response to the forest fires, she said the lengthy heat wave across the country has aggravated forest fires in Balochistan, KPK, and Margalla Hills in Islamabad.
In view of these incidents, she said SOPs of risk reduction, prevention and immediate response on low and high-intensity forest fire outbreaks for the federal and provincial authorities for immediate response and action.
Sherry said for an immediate response, SOPs on forest fires have been chalked out by the Task Force. “These SOPs include alerting all relevant provincial and federal authorities depending on the severity of the fires, deployment of fire-fighting and rescue staff, to carry out announcements in mosques and schools to alert nearby populations and carry out rescue operations to prevent harm to local communities,” she said.
The minister said last year IWMB and CDA fought fires that damaged 189 acres and this year, despite more fires, our combined vigilance has controlled the damage to 45.42 acres in the Margallah Hills National Park.She said because of the task force, the provinces have amended their forest laws to enhance penalties for arson.”