PM’s aide orders all-out steps for protecting lives from heatwave, floods

Islamabad: Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam on Friday urged all federal and provincial authorities to take all-out measures to protect lives and livelihoods of the people from ongoing heatwave spell and possible monsoon floods.

During the meeting of the 2nd National Task Force on Global Warming and Heat Waves here, Romina also asked them to maintain sufficient stocks of disaster relief items pre-monsoon onset to ensure in time preparedness against above-normal rainfall.

The participants included representatives of the National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Science and Technology, Global Change Impact Studies Centre, Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of National Health, Services, Regulations and Coordination, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and officials from the provincial governments who joined via video link.

The prime minister's coordinator urged all federal and provincial departments to enhance their preparedness with regard to the threat of flooding due to upcoming monsoon spell, stock maintenance and heat wave effects.

She emphasised the timely execution by all stakeholders on NDMA's National Action Plan regarding flood threats in Southern Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces. She also stressed upon inclusion of Lady Health Workers, Midwives in the medical relief camps to be established by concerned Federating Units during the emergency situations.

The PM’s aide highlighted that the country’s vulnerability to climate change-caused disasters would continue to deepen as the disasters, particularly heatwaves and floods, were becoming more intense and frequent as the world continues to heat up because of untamed heat-trapping carbon emissions.

“The adverse socioeconomic impacts of the disasters are unlikely to be overcome as long as the well-coordinated disaster risk mitigation or prevention measures are not taken jointly by all federal and provincial departments,” she warned.

Romina assured authorities of her Ministry’s unwavering support at all levels so as the country’s disaster vulnerability is lessened through effective collaboration among the federal and provincial departments, mainly the national and provincial disaster management authorities, health, education, agriculture, water and energy departments.