Daily incidents of fire turn Pakistan into a ‘fire-fighting’ nation, SOPs for forest fires finalized
Climate Change minister seeks broader cooperation with Sweden in reducing carbon footprint
Islamabad: For the last couple of weeks, incidents of forest fires are on the rise in Pakistan and except Sindh, almost all the provinces and the federal capital have been reporting fires in their reserves causing huge loss to natural life and habitat.
In view of the recent fires across the country, a Climate Change Task force has been set up to coordinate climate-related actions as quickly as possible. All chief secretaries of the provinces and senior officials of the Pakistan-Administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) are members of the body which first met at Prime Ministers House and prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for prevention and control of forest fires.
The SOPs include action related to risk reduction, prevention and immediate response on low and high intensity forest fire outbreaks for the federal and the provincial authorities.
'Prolonged heat spell aggravating fires'
These fires have been aggravated by lengthy heat waves across the country particularly in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Margalla Hills of Islamabad. Some forest areas in Rawalpindi district of Punjab have also been affected by these fires.
Elevation of all forest fires to disaster level, which can trigger responses from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), are also among preventive protocols and response actions.
'Installation watch towers'
Moreover, installation of watch towers with personnel during the fire season, clearings of fire lines for flammable materials will also reduce the risk of forest fires.
Creating fire ditches, involvement of local communities and establishment of control rooms in all forest fire zones in all provinces with communication networks, equipment and staff are among the SOPs prepared for prevention and control of fires.
'House is burning'
Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman while addressing a reception marking the National Day of Sweden said the provincial and the federal wildlife departments along with the local civil and administrative departments were busy fighting fires ‘right now when I am speaking’.
We are a fire fighting nation, she said and facing three to four incidents of fire on a daily basis.
Pakistan’s people owe to their bravery because despite being poorly-equipped and facing difficult terrains they have risked their lives and battling with fires.
“We must salute them as they are our real heroes,” said Sherry Rehman while highlighting the grave challenge of fires which have devastated the forests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and the Margalla Hills of Islamabad.
'Cooperation with Sweden key to reduce carbon risk'
Sherry Rehman who recently participated in the Stockholm+50 Meetings on behalf of the G-77 and China congratulated Ambassador of Sweden Henrik Persson on the occasion of Sweden’s national day.
The day also marked Sweden’s landmark achievement for becoming the world’s first fossil fuel-free nation. Pakistan needs lessons to learn from Sweden and also seeks broader collaboration with the country in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, she said.
She also thanked the leadership of Sweden for “remembering Pakistan in a time of COVID-19 induced inequality. The vaccines that you donated were instrumental in assisting our population and taking us out of a difficult and challenging time, she said.
