Moot on climate change: KP govt has zero tolerance for damaging environment

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Wednesday that his government was taking action against the timber mafia cutting trees and damaging the environment.

Speaking at the concluding session of the three-day national conference on the ‘Climate Change’ organised by the Climate Change Centre at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar here, he said his government had confiscated wood worth Rs10 billion. He said the government had zero tolerance for those destroying the natural resources.

Pervez Khattak said his government had focused on the plantation of saplings across the province to combat rising temperatures. He said the government would plant 500 million saplings by December 2016. He hoped the academic institutions and research centres would guide the government how to cope with the changing weather pattern.

The chief minister said during the last 70 years, successive governments had planted only three million saplings, while his government was determined to plant 1,000 million trees during its tenure. He said dwindling water sources, deforestation and rising pollution posed a challenge to future generations. He said that climate change had become a global problem and educational institutions must create an awareness about its effects.

Meteorological Department Director Mohammad Hanif said that during the last 20 years, summer had extended to 160 from 140 days. He said winter had shrunk to about 45 days from 60 days, while spring had almost become non-existent. The official said this was alarming, particularly for crops and water resources.

Mohammad Hanif added that average temperature had risen in 25 years to about 1 degree centigrade to 2 degree centigrade and it was increasing with each passaging year.He said that said monsoon had slightly increased and winter rainfall had decreased. He said that rain pattern had shifted to about 100 kilometres west from north. “These changes will lead to a disaster,” he cautioned.