PM Imran Khan warns of worsening water crisis in Pakistan

Prime Minister Imran Khan said Saturday a water crisis is in store for Pakistan and lamented that the provinces were already blaming each other for water theft.

The prime minister made the statement during the World Environment Day event that Pakistan hosted in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme.

"Pakistan's 80% water comes through glaciers, and glaciers are being severely affected due to global warming .... India, and several other countries will be impacted by this," he said.

The premier warned that glaciers were melting due to global warming and if the world did not pay attention now, there could be further devastation across the globe.

The prime minister said governments across the world could not implement their policies of environmental protection and preservation unless fully backed by their masses.

He then called on Pakistanis, especially, the young and students to participate in the government’s initiatives to remedy this — like the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project and Clean and Green Pakistan.

The premier noted Pakistan had been placed on the list of countries that were facing a worrying future due to the adverse effects of global warming.

PM Imran Khan lamented the world had not given due attention to the environmental issues it faces, calling for collective efforts to tackle them.

Pakistan is among the countries worst affected by climate change, having been regularly hit by devastating floods in recent years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and destroying swathes of agricultural land.

"Unfortunately, the world hasn't paid much attention to conserving the environment," the premier said, noting the countries that had paid due attention to the matter were in a better state as compared to others.

Strenuous and sustained efforts needed

The prime minister underlined the need for making strenuous and sustained efforts to preserve the planet for the future of the coming generations.

He regretted that in Pakistan too, in the past, no attention was paid to counter issues like environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and deforestation.

The premier, further lamenting about Pakistan's environmental issues, said the country's jungles were gradually ruined, as influential people occupied lands illegally.

"There were jungles spread across several acres of land in Changa Manga, Chichawatni, Kundian [...] with time, the tress from these jungles were cut down," the premier said.

PM Imran Khan said the PTI-led government had successfully planted one billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the last five years.

Half of country's income spent on repaying loans

"Half of the country's income is spent on repaying loans," the premier said, as he regretted Pakistan could not spend the required amount to tackle environmental problems.

The prime minister said special guards would be posted for the construction of national parks, adding tourism would witness a boost after they are completed.

"Locals will realise the importance of national parks once it boosts tourism," he said.

PM urges world community to join hands

The premier, a day earlier, had urged the world community to come together and join hands to protect the ecosystem, increase tree cover and save the global environment for coming generations.

“It is time for the world to come together and save the environment for our future generations,” the premier had said while addressing the virtual launch Gala of UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The prime minister had said everyone needed to protect the ecosystem, environment and stop the rapid depletion of tree-cover as well as the degradation of the environment.

Sharing the country's efforts towards improving the environment, PM Imran Khan pointed out that Pakistan, as part of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, had so far completed the plantation of one billion trees and its target was to plant 10 billion trees.

He had said the government had also started another ambitious programme of adding nine national parks to the existing 30, developed over the last 70 years, in the country.

The prime minister said the objective of the program was to increase tree cover, protect wildlife, diminishing due to lack of habitat, and enhance mangroves.

Green jobs

He said the government was also working on the restoration of wetlands by using floodwaters and replenishing the water table.

The prime minister said the whole process also helped in creating green jobs, with the government providing 80,000 employment opportunities for women and youth since the COVID-19 oubreak.