Climate change may result in drought, mass migration: speakers

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a workshop have said that climate change has brought about changes in rain pattern that would have tremendous impact on the livelihoods of communities and can result in drought and mass migration.

The workshop on the impact of climate change on the rainfall patterns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held by Climate Change Centre of the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, in collaboration with a Norwegian organisation.

According to a press release, the workshop was attended by the representatives of provincial government, district governments of Swat, Nowshera and Lakki Marwat and NGOs.

Professor Dr Saifullah, dean, University of Agriculture, stated that rain-fed areas are more vulnerable to climate change.

He said that agriculture is the main source of livelihood in these areas. Shah Khalid and Zohaib Hassan of NCA highlighted the efforts of NCA to eradicate poverty and disaster risk reduction in various parts of the country.

Zulfiqar, Director of Climate Change Centre, in his address informed that the Climate Change Centre established in the university is doing research on various aspects of climate change and capacity building of relevant stakeholders.

The activities of Climate Change Centre are being carried out with the financial support of the provincial government and other organisations, he said and added that collaboration with NCA is one such effort that helped investigate impacts of climate change on rain patterns in Swat, Nowshera and Lakki Marwat districts.

Prof Dr Tahir Sarwar deliberated on the research results and said that due to climate change, rain patterns are changing and there is an increase in the temperature due to global warming. Both factors are harming the productive capacity of crops and livestock, he added.

Further, the rainwater is mostly run off and there are hardly any efforts to store

or conserve this water for use to irrigate crops, provision for livestock and meeting other water requirements, he said.

He added that there is an urgent need to store and conserve rainwater to minimise impact of climate change on productivity of agriculture, livestock and human beings.