PESHAWAR:Speakers at a seminar laid stress on raising awareness, fostering understanding, and promoting informed decision-making about the multifaceted impacts and risks of changing climate.
“Climate change is one of the most critical global challenges of our time, affecting all living organisms and natural resources,” they added.
According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, the seminar was organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan in Dera Ismail Khan under its USAID-funded Water Management for Enhanced Productivity (WMfEP) project.
Titled ” Climate Change Risks and Impacts in Gomal Zam Dam Command Area” the seminar emphasized the intricate relationship between climate change and agriculture.
Speakers said the agriculture sector in Pakistan is one of the major contributors to the country’s GDP. Approximately 20% of the total GDP depends on consistent water availability.
Changes in water supply can impact crop yields and food production. Awareness campaigns, and scientific studies must be conducted for agricultural areas and their results should be used for planning, preparedness, and adaptation measures, they stressed.
Muhammad Nawaz, Development Specialist and Mission Environmental Officer, USAID Pakistan said, “Climate change is now a reality. We must understand that the weather patterns are changing drastically, we are facing recurrent floods and droughts and all this is a warning sign.
We need to adopt to these challenges and be resilient to the climate shocks, every bigger disaster brings in even a bigger opportunity, Nawaz continued.One of the goals of this seminar was to present the findings of a detailed scientific study conducted by IWMI, in a simple manner to the local audience.
The seminar was attended by several institutions including but not limited to the district administration, disaster management authorities, Water and Power Development Authority, government departments (Agriculture, Irrigation), Gomal Zam Dam Command Area Development Project (GZDCADP) staff, academia, and most important of all, the farming community.
Dr. Muhammad Tousif Bhatti, Researcher, IWMI presented the findings of the scientific study. He said Pakistan regularly experiences some of the highest maximum temperatures in the world, with many regions experiencing temperatures of 38°C and above on an annual basis.
When weather patterns converge to deliver prolonged periods of heatwave, serious human health impacts can emerge.
Quoting the 2022 floods in Gomal Zam Dam command area, Dr. Bhatti said it received high-intensity rainfall during Aug 2022. The post-flood analysis of satellite images in Google Earth Engine showed that one-third of GZDCA was potentially flooded on 29 Aug 2022.
The predictions for the near future are alarming and call for a resilient approach. There is an urgent need to assess adaptive capacity in GZDCA and enhance it to face future calamities in a better way, he stressed.
It also provided specific planning and adaptation options to the Government Departments i.e., based on inundation maps of 2022 flood to improve flood protection and drainage infrastructure.
The suggestions made in the study for farming communities included plantation in furrows (better drainage of flood), high-efficiency irrigation systems e.g., drip irrigation (drought), silage making (livestock feed in winter), tunnel farming (control weather) and choice of resilient seed varieties.
The study conducted by IWMI suggests that governments and local authorities need to develop policies that consider climate change impacts on water resources and integrate them into development planning. Raising awareness among communities about the importance of water conservation and sustainable practices can contribute to a more resilient water future.