More floods possible in future

Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC), Christiana Figueres appealed of the global community to play their role for rehabilitation of flood-affected people in Pakistan.

She was talking to media persons at WWF Wetland Center in Sandspit, here after visiting flood affected areas including Dadu and Sehwan on Monday. She said that the post-flood crisis is still continuing in Sindh as millions of people are displaced.

She said a large number of flood survivors are still in camps as their homes and villages completely devastated in flood. Figueres said that unfortunately media were not focusing properly on the plights of flood survivors.

She said serious focus of media on this issue is required so that to catch attention of global community.

She said that global community has to come forward and go beyond from relief and recovery phase and fully engage in rehabilitation of flood-affected people.

She said that due to climate change, more floods are possible in future and it is imperative that reconstruction phase is undertaken on sustainable basis.

She appreciated WWF, IUCN and provincial efforts for protection of coastal areas through mangrove plantation. She pointed out that coastal areas are more vulnerable to climate change. She visited various parts of wetlands center, planted sapling of mangroves and released hatchling turtle in beach.

Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister for Planning & Development Department Dr Kaiser Bengali said that the Sindh Government has planned to plant more than 0.25 million mangroves in coastal areas of the province.

He said that the Sindh Government has released Rs1bn for maintenance and repair of river and canal embankments in the flood affected areas of the province, while the federal government would also release Rs 5 billion for this purpose.

The Dawn