Minister worried over ongoing fires in Balochistan

Islamabad : The second meeting of the PM's Task Force on Global Warming & Heat Wave was held today at the Ministry of Climate Change under the Chairmanship of Federal Minister Senator Sherry Rehman. Federal Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema, along with secretary information, NDMA, and provincial secretaries attended the meeting. The meeting was convened to appraise the minister of the functioning of the Task Force now.

On the occasion, Federal Minister expressed grave concern about the ongoing fires in Balochistan, "The fire that is ravaging Sherani District in Zhob is getting out of hands and provincial government needs to take cognizance of its repercussions. The pine nut trees are burning and 3 deaths have already been reported. NDMA has provided a helicopter for the mission, now the provincial governments need to apprise the Federal government on what is been done there."

During the meeting, the Federal Minister was apprised of the establishment of the central coordination unit. This unit will ensure inter-provincial coordination and will allow the Federal government to stay updated on the current climate change situation throughout the country. Another task achieved by the MoCC since the first meeting is the setting up of IT portal which will be completed by 31st May. The ministry had also received information on actionable decisions from the provinces. The meeting further included updates on the ongoing information sharing and vigilance on the heatwave. Further, livestock departments were advised to adopt a proactive approach in providing the needed information on Heatwave and water scarcity affecting the livestock. The Ministry of Water Resources was directed to provide information on the current water situation in the country so that informed decisions can be taken on the matter.

Provincial Chief secretaries provided information on the water situation of their regions. Chief Secretary Sindh reported high water stress still faced by the region. The issue of shutting down tubewells to preserve ground water was also discussed during the meeting. The lining of canals and other water bodies was stressed and information on the water availability in each province was requested of the provincial chief secretaries.