Climate change ministry gets Rs9.6 billion to fight against environmental challenges  

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government has allocated Rs 9.6 billion under Public Service Development Programme (PSDP) for Climate Change Division in the fiscal year 2022-23.

The allocated amount of billions of rupees in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 focused on climate change adaptation and mitigation endeavours to purge the country from adverse impacts of environmental degradation and global warming.

The budgetary allocation is focused to tackle the adverse impacts of climate change; environmental degradation and global warming.

According to a budgetary document, the PSDP Planned Activities for the Fiscal Year 2022-23 in Climate Change Division focused on disaster risk management, early warning systems, availability of clean drinking water, the transition towards environmentally resilient Pakistan through adaptation and mitigation targeting ecological initiatives consistent with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) objectives, attaining Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) to generate ecosystem services and provide additional support to mitigation of GHG, promote eco-tourism and improve the carbon sinking capacity, and to establish real-time monitoring of ambient air quality through the establishment of monitoring stations, in a periodic manner, throughout Islamabad.

Rs 9.4 billion have been earmarked for TBTTP for achieving the target of planting2000 million trees in 2022-23.

The aforementioned amount has been allocated for ongoing schemes while 100 million were earmarked for a new scheme in the PSDP 2022-23. The ongoing schemes include ‘Capacity Building on Water Quality Monitoring and SDG 6 (6.1) Reporting’ at a cost of Rs 23 million, and ‘Climate Resilient Urban Human Settlements Unit’ at an amount of Rs 19 million was earmarked.

The maximum allocations were earmarked for Up scaling of Green Pakistan Programme (Revised) at a cost of Rs 9.4 billion.

An amount of Rs 100 million was allotted for the much-awaited Islamabad Zoo project that would be transformed into a wildlife sanctuary and animal preserve zone.

In the Sectoral Plan and Strategy 2022-23, the Annual Development Plan highlighted the Capacity Building on Water Quality Monitoring and SDG 6 (6.1) Reporting (USD 7.4 million) which is aimed at maintaining water quality management labs (36 district labs in Punjab, 7 divisional labs in KP, One Lab in PCRWR at national level); capacity building for water policy and lab operations; knowledge and experiences sharing with Korean Government; and strengthening coordination among Ministry of Climate Change and provincial governments.

PSDP has allocated Rs 23 million for an ongoing scheme, Capacity Building on Water Quality Monitoring and SDG 6 (6.1) Reporting, to maintain water quality management labs.

The PSD has earmarked Rs 9,450.582 million for the “Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Programme (Phase-I) Upscaling of Green Pakistan Programme (Revised)” for achieving the target of planting 500 million trees. The PSDP has allocated Rs 563.035 million and Rs 1,245 million for the installation of weather surveillance radars at Multan and Sukkur respectively.

While Pakistan Meteorological Department has developed a project for “Establishment of new Meteorological Observatory at Naran and Hostel for Operational Staff at Balakot” which is estimated to cost of Rs 150 million.

The key interventions and programmes for 2022-23 underlined that the government of Pakistan would be allocating a significant amount of funds to ensure efficient delivery of TBTTP and has set the target of 2000 million trees to achieve the targets in 2022-23.

It also focused on the establishment of 22 National Parks at an area of 223606.4 square kilometres throughout Pakistan; the establishment of Air and Water Monitoring Network initially at Islamabad to be replicated throughout the country; support KP Forest Department for the sustainability of TBTTP; increase the pace of planning and implementation mechanism to make cities more climate-resilient under Climate Resilient Urban Human Settlement Units Project; and to establish weather surveillance radar at Multan and Sukkur.