#Pakistan - Critical Analysis Of ‘Zero Hunger’ And The Case Of Pakistan – Analysis

 By Muhammad Firas Shams

Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also known as Global Goals, are a group of 17 goals adopted by all member states of the United Nations (UN) in 2015 in order to promote prosperity and safeguarding the health of the planet  in tandem. The SDGs came subsequent to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – 8 MDGs in total – and are part of the Agenda 2030 of the UN. (1) The 2030 Agenda laid out a 15-year plan for all member states to implement the various interlinked SDGs, and it addresses global challenges like environmental degradation, poverty, peace and justice, climate change, inequality et cetera. Each goal comes with targets and additionally indicators. There are 169 targets along with 243 indicators. The indicators are jointly known as global indicator framework designed by Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indictors (IAEG-SDGs). In other words, the collection of goals, targets and indicators are supposed to help member states to formulate and evaluate their policies until the year 2030. It is important to note that governments are not bound to these goals legally, rather more of a matter of taking ownership for a sustainable future. (2)

Any discussion on SDGs needs to first define the meaning of sustainable development, which may be intuitively understood but difficult to define especially in operational terms. It refers to the kind of development which is able to meet the needs of the present generation while sustaining the ability of the posterity to meet their needs in the future.  It can only materialize if there is a consonance between social inclusion, protection of the environment and economic growth in order to ensure a resilient, inclusive and sustainable planet. (3) So sustainable development juxtaposes development and sustainability. The concept has groundswell of support but it is important to note the essential needs of the developing world are to be prioritized here to create ecological as well as political stability. (4) Communication is sine qua non of sustainable development especially as a societal process. (5)

This paper will review the second SDG, “Zero Hunger” and jointly analyze 6 targets and 10 concomitant indictors. This will be followed by data on Pakistan vis à vis the said goal and lastly recommendations will be laid out generally regarding the SDGs and specifically on zero hunger.

Zero Hunger: An overview

“Zero Hunger”, the multi-pronged second SDG, to an extent self-explanatory and the focus of this paper, refers to the universal objective of ending hunger, addressing the overriding issue of rampant food insecurity, access to nutritional food and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. The performance of this goal is interconnected with other SDGs such as “No Poverty” and “Good Health & Well-Being”. Whereas, in other cases Zero hunger is interlinked to specific targets or indicators of other SDGs such as target 10.1 and its indicator 10.1.1 of SDG-10 (Reduced Inequality within as well as amongst countries), dealing with attainment of income growth of the bottom 40% households nationally. (6) Similarly, target 12.3 and its indicator 12.3.1 of SDG-12, (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns), addressing the need to reduce food waste both at consumer and retail level, also food losses at the production stage and along supply chains. (7) Ergo, “Zero Hunger” is one of the most crucial SDGs. 

The statistics in the 2021 report on the progress of SDGs by the UN Secretary General aren’t very encouraging in this regard as food insecurity as well as global hunger have been witnessing an upward trend since 2014. From 2014 to 2019, there was an increase of 60 million people going hungry. (8) In 2019 alone, 8.9% of the global population was affected by hunger i.e., 690 million people experienced severe lack of food. The task of Zero Hunger became an even more distant goal due to pandemic (COVID-19), and it is estimated that in 2020 another 83-132 million people have plunged into chronic hunger. (9) The developing world continues to grapple with the various kinds of malnutrition. The pandemic stripped layer after layer of the inefficiency of global as well as domestic food systems and supply chains. (10) Amanda Little, Professor of Journalism at Vanderbilt University, highlighted in her Ted Salon that in the early stages of the pandemic and lockdown, Spanish Chef, José Andrés tweeted two photos, one of gigantic piles of potatoes in Idaho which couldn’t be transported to restaurants and stadiums for consumption and in contrast the other picture was of multiple extended queues of cars outside a food bank at San Antonio, without enough food to go around. This speaks volumes about the food crisis in the US due to fragile and outdated food systems, one could conjecture how devastating the situation is in the developing world. (11)

In terms of food insecurity, the statistics give an abysmal illustration as there has been a rise from 22.4% of the world population in 2015 to 25.9% of the world population in 2019 being affected by food insecurity – that is more than an uptick as that means 2 billion people globally especially in the Caribbean, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, which witnessed greatest levels of the aforementioned malady. Conversely, the percentage of children under the age of 5 with stunted growth (low-height for age) dropped from 24.4% in 2015 to 22 % in 2020, however, this progress of access to nutritious diet has been offset by the pandemic. Moreover, when it comes to overweight and wasting (low-weight for height) amongst children under the age of 5, 5.7% (38.9 million) and 6.7% (45.4 million) children were affected in 2020 respectively. The pandemic is said to push 15% more children to suffer from wasting due to debilitating affordability of households and unavailability of nutritious food. While, the problem of childhood overweight is estimated to aggravate due to replacement of fresh food with synthetic food as well as limited physical activities. (12)

Another vulnerable group is the women vis à vis statistics from 2019 show how anemia was prevalent in 26.9% non-pregnant and 35.6% pregnant women, also found amongst 29.9% of women who fall in the reproductive age. South and Central Asia recorded the highest percentages. Furthermore, in most of the UN member states small-scale food producers’ annual income was 2 to 3 times less than large-scale food producers, while the trend of higher labor productivity and higher annual income amongst households headed by males in contrast to female-headed households has been widespread. In 2020, plant genetic resource holdings for agriculture and food hit the 5.7 million, conserved in 17 research centers across 144 countries, but there has been a decline in the growth of such holdings in the last 10 years. Despite research and strides into genetic diversity of both domesticated as well as farmed animals, the world is nowhere close to maintaining this diversity in the gene banks let alone the field. Based on the data from a limited local livestock breeds, an alarming 74% breeds are said to be at the risk of extinction. Another cause of concern is that only an estimated 2.6% (203) of the 7,700 local livestock breeds have the required genetic resources in the gene bank to bring a breed back from extinction. (13)

Along with this, the share of aid earmarked for agriculture has increased twofold since 2002 – 5% of the total aid – standing at $13 billion in the year 2019. Whilst, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) globally the export subsidy outlays have been on the decline since 1999 when it stood at $6.7 billion to $138 million in the year 2018. 2015 saw the adoption of Ministerial Decision on Export Competition by members of WTO going into an agreement to get rid of entitlements regarding agricultural export subsidies. Moreover, with the exception of North America, Western, Central and South Asia, the number of UN member states struggling with high food prices went down between 2014 to 2019. (14) Another concerning trend globally, however, is that of the higher prevalence of food insecurity amongst women as compared to men, from 2018-2019 the gender gap with regard to access to food expanded. (15)

Critique of targets and indicators

For starters, Zero Hunger (SDG-2) has a total of 8 targets; the first 5 targets starting from 2.1 to 2.5 essentially deal with achieving agricultural sustainability and food security. The remaining 3 targets listed from 2a to 2c attempt to encapsulate the objectives of slacking market constraints as well as assuaging market unpredictability and ramping up investment in agriculture. Targets can be defined as results/ outcomes that can be measured, are precisely defined and restricted by time; they help in the materialization of the goals. In addition, the aforementioned goal has 14 indicators, at an average of 2 indictors per target. Indicators in operational term refers to metrics employed to examine the attainment of the goals. They heavily depends on the availability of data. The focus of this research will be on 6 targets (2.1 to 2.5 and 2.c) and 10 indicators (2.1.1 to 2.5.2 and 2.c.1). (16)

Target 2.1 (Indicators 2.1.1 and 2.1.2):

There are limitations on how much specific data is available on particular groups mentioned in this target, for example the vulnerable, the poor and infants. The adjective “poor” could have different interpretations here, people above the poverty line or bordering it, the levels of poverty experienced varies. Moreover, Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) does to a notable degree records the complex and multilayered nature of food insecurity (both perceived and actual food insecurity), however, its data is unavailable for all UN member states. Examining the two indicators, the problem of data limitations isn’t addressed. Indicators could have rather been centered on intensity of food deficit or variability index of food supply (per capita). If the indicators were designed in accordance with the above recommendations, they could be observed with the help of international databases which are easily available. These recommended indicators are more in line with pillars of food security – the four pillars of food security entail “stability”, “access”, “utilization” and “availability”. (17)

Target 2.2 (Indicators 2.2.1 and 2.2.2): 

Compared to the target discussed hitherto, target 2.2 doesn’t have the shortcoming of data constraints or unavailability of data that can be monitored globally, however, there is a troika of inadequacies vis à vis the two concomitant indicators. Firstly, said indicators are not adequately covering groups such as lactating women, adolescent girls, pregnant women and the older persons. Secondly, the indicators haven’t been designed with a syntax that doesn’t make a lot of sense or provides clarity, particularly not setting a specific base year (5) will keep the target virtually elusive, i.e., prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting amongst children under the age bracket of 5.  Lastly, all categories of malnutrition laid out by World Health Organization (WHO) have not be encapsulated – stunting and wasting are mentioned – such as micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, non-communicable diseases linked to diet et cetera. This target can use additional indictors which include prevalence of adult obesity and protein share from animal sources, both cover non-communicable diseases such as stroke, diabetes, heart diseases et cetera, prevalent in developing as well as developed world. Additionally, protein supply could be a useful indicator which can function as a proxy for the quality of food since insufficient to zero data is available on specific nutrients and the metric of pregnant women suffering from anemia (indicator) could be useful, providing greater coverage to a group stated in the target. Data on these recommended indicators is readily with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (18)

Target 2.3 (Indicators 2.3.1 and 2.3.2): 

A diligent examination of the content of target 2.3 vis-à-vis ramping up agricultural productivity twofold, reveals that it cannot be applied universally. Some UN member states feature disharmony or tension between intensification of agriculture and its sustainability. Equal access to opportunities, productive resources, land, markets, financial services cannot be encapsulated profoundly. Measurement of productivity in terms of labor unit as compared to land may not be enough in a couple of cases as it can be challenging to exhume and analyze variations caused by labor productivity in the output of agriculture as compared to other inputs such as the use of machinery or compost – needle in a haystack. Moreover, the indicators don’t help much in determining the relationship between labor and agricultural productivity, due to this ambiguity it is difficult to set threshold values for each UN member state. A universal definition of who can be categorized as small-scale can be misleading. In the absence of a yardstick, income levels don’t reveal much about the living conditions of farmers, not an adequate window into their lives. The indicator of yield gap – according to definition of Global Yield Gap Atlas (GYGA) – can be more serviceable as it provides a yardstick for productivity; it captures agricultural intensification in relation to maximum yield of each member state on the basis of land. This recommended indicator can replace the existing one (2.3.1). Indicator 2.3.2 can be replaced by a pair of indictors, addressing income levels of the farmers. First is the share of farmers who are managing less than minimum wage nationally and second deals with the share of rural populace which is below poverty line nationally. Global analogies and insightful outcomes at the national level can materialize by virtue of these recommended indicators as national wages and poverty lines particular to a member state explain purchasing power parity (PPP) and exchange rates. (19)

Target 2.4 (Indicator 2.4.1): 

Sustainability is a nuanced phenomenon, and vis-à-vis target 2.4 it entails things like irrigation systems, use of fertilizers and insecticides, water productivity, Green House Gases (GHGs), but only one indicator is mentioned and assumed to cover the entire gamut, avoiding multiple indicators that can be analyzed as resolving the problem of specificity – 2018 version of SDG-2 Target 2.4 had 3 indicators which addressed use of fertilizers and irrigation while not mentioning other facets of sustainability such as GHGs –  by mentioning a few dimensions of sustainability. One the contrary, a single indicator could appear to be vague and additional information in the form of multiple indicators could generate greater understanding of how agricultural sustainability can be gauged. Single indicator appears to stem from expert-driven approach, not keeping in mind the varied target audiences that might subscribe to SDGs.  The use of the term “sustainable practices” could impede cross-country similitude. Similarly resilience, which is part of the target text and intertwined with sustainability, isn’t described in the indicator. As mentioned above, a few new indicators could be added to this target such as average topsoil carbon content, average surplus of nitrogen and its efficiency, average productivity of water, use of pesticide over an area, percentage of water used in agriculture, magnitude of GHGs produced by food production. In addition, vulnerability index of climate change (Global Adaptation Initiative) can be espoused as it can provide essential data on how susceptible is a particular member state to climate change in the context of food production. (20) The text of this target could have used the term “regenerative agriculture”, finding solutions in the past i.e., traditional agricultural practices (will be discussed in the recommendations section).  (21)

Target 2.5 (Indicator 2.5.1 and 2.5.2): 

The fact that an infinitesimal number of plant species are part of world’s agriculture has contributed towards the decline in biodiversity and genetic diminution. It is estimated that over 50% of the energy for human consumption comes from the likes of maize, wheat and rice. This target relates to improvement as well as maintenance of diet quality, conserving the diversity of the various agricultural organisms (agrobiodiversity), incorporating resilience in food production systems and farm biodiversity. With reference to indicator 2.5.1 that deals conservation facilities of genetic resources of animals and plants for agriculture as well food, data is largely unavailableRef. Whereas, indicator 2.5.2 can mislead on what the bids of member states to conserve local genetic pools are due to variation in the cataloging of the proportion of local breeds. The first indicator could be replaced with average gaps in ex situ collections of specific crop gene pools, while the second indicator can be tailored to include “known risk of extinction” breeds. (22) 

Target 2.c (Indicators 2.c.1):

This target deals with the food commodity markets and price volatility. Using the indicator of price anomalies (IFPA) could have its limitations, especially unavailability of price indices of all member states. One example is that of the Oceania region where only for a few countries, price indices are available which encumbers the ability to draw comparisons and conclusions, both at regional as well as international level, about volatility of food prices. (23) Factors behind price volatility could vary from country to country. It could be caused by price depreciation, staple food not being readily available, lack of market reforms, stranglehold of cartels et cetera. Ergo, IFPA has its limitations as it could be defined just as a guide to ascertain the dynamics of markets. Solely using it to determine whether there is a relationship between local policies and anomalous food prices (very high or very low) at a specific time and particular market cannot provide reliable information. Other aspects such as external shocks, data fundamentals of market and macroeconomics have to be combined with IFPA to get a real picture or actual understanding. Also, this target is connected to SDG 12 which deals in tandem with responsible/sustainable consumption and patterns of production. If food waste is brought down, it can in turn lower price volatility. (24) To conclude, establishment of a global emergency food reserve could have been added to the text of this target. (25)

Zero Hunger: Case of Pakistan

According to World Food Programme (WFP), Pakistan, a country with 207.7 million people, has turned food surplus; a major wheat producing country which distributes this staple food (wheat) globally with the help of WFP. It is estimated that 50.8% of the total monthly earnings of an average Pakistani household is expend on buying food, which makes them more susceptible to food price volatility. The shocks of climate change might further complicate a food crisis in the country. However, if one examines 2018 national nutrition survey, it presents a grave scenario, 36.9% of the populace is beset with food insecurity, while Pakistan ranks second in South Asia in terms of malnutrition as around 18% of the children below the age of 5 are suffering chronic malnutrition. In addition, the aforementioned age group has 29% underweight children and 40% are stunted. When it comes to undernourishment, 20.5% of the population fall under this category and a whopping 82% children don’t have access to the minimum meal number a day – between the age of 6 to 23 months, only 1 in 7 are able to have a meal which is diverse in dietary contents. The underlying cause for these abysmal statistics is largely due to acute economic deprivation, especially being faced by the lowest of rungs of the society and vulnerable strata such as women, whose diet is inadequate as well as lacking diversity. (26) High malnutrition has led to low productivity of the workforce as it is estimated to incur $7.6 billion (3% of the Pakistan’s GDP) due to low productivity. Overall poor hygiene and insalubrious food consumption further serve as a detriment. (27) 

It is worth noting that between 2003 to 2019, undernourishment in Pakistan gradually saw a downward trend moving down from 33 million to 26 million affected people affected. However, these gains were monumentally challenged by the spells of drought, floods of 2010-13, locust invasions and more recently COVID-19. Lockdowns exacerbated poverty which contributed to food insecurity in 2019-20. The benefits of a diet which is both healthy and balanced could be understood from how this diet shift can help reduce around 97% direct as well indirect health expenses and bringing down the social cost of GHG emissions by 47 to 71% by the year 2030 – this is nothing short of a challenge in Pakistan which is on a low-nutrient, energy dense diet. In terms of food availability, there was a small silver lining of agricultural growth in 2019-20 by 2.7% eclipsed by a general economic shrinkage by 0.4% – livestock and major crops accounted for this growth highlighting the need to grow diverse foods in Pakistan. The pandemic also brought to fore the ignored flimsiness of Pakistan’s agri-food systems; unpredictability that engulfs labor force linked with agriculture including the invisible labor. (28)

Since 2011, Pakistan has taken a couple of strides to inch closer to the target of “Zero Hunger”. For starters, the country became a member of Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement in order to enhance coordination between various agencies as well as stakeholders, expanding research and policy analysis/formulation, along with adoption of better monitoring mechanisms. Moreover, Pakistan Integrated Nutrition Strategy (PINS) was designed virtually a decade ago with the Federal Ministry of National Food Security initiating first of kind, National Food Security Policy in the year 2017. The initiation of Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition (PDGN) and Pakistan Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy 2018-25 (PMNS) addressed the nutritional dire straits of children and women. In addition, partnerships have been created in the public-private domain, Universal Salt Iodization (USI) Programme covers 110 districts nationwide, 1,100 flour mills are part of Food Fortification Programme. The provincial governments have been contributed towards the said target. Sindh for instance started the Nutrition Support Programme under the Accelerated Action Plan designated for rein in malnutrition as well as stunting while, in Baluchistan, Nutrition Programme for Mothers and Children (BNPMC) is operational. In case of Punjab, Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy (MNSC-2015) has been devised to, inter alia, incorporate health reforms and prevent stunting. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is working within the framework of Stunting Prevention Rehabilitation Integrated Nutrition Gain (SPRING). (29)

Pakistan has been working on developing an Early Childhood Development (ECD) National Policy Framework. Introduction of tax exemptions (import duty) on equipment to be used in the fortification of food and promotion of “Zincol 2016” (Zinc rich-wheat) to ramp up the intake of both iron and zinc amongst the population. Wheat and edible oil fortification programme are operational. Wheat flour is being beefed up with folic acid, zinc and Vitamin B12 whereas, edible oil is being boosted with Vitamins D and A. (30) In 2019, the government launched “Ehsaas Langar Scheme”, an ambitious country wide establishment of 112 soup kitchens over a period of 2 years by partnering with Saylani Welfare Trust. (31) The concept of langars was even found during the Ottoman Empire commonly referred to as aqhane, daru’l-it’am, daru’z-ziyafe or imaret between 14th and 19th century, generally soup kitchens operate across the developing and developed world. (32) Although measures and policy towards realization of Zero hunger have been evident, however, due to inconsistency, corruption, lack of political will, natural disasters, market mafias, this goal seems far from accomplishment in Pakistan keeping in mind the 2030 Agenda. 

Recommendations:

Broadly speaking, communication of sustainability is key towards the successful understanding and implementation of all the SDGs, particularly effectively communicating the indicators to various audiences. The need for it can be seen from the fact that sustainability is yet to make it to the list of societal priorities globally. A volte-face is required when it comes to espousing sustainable ways, therefore information regarding SDGs and their goals need to be compiled and communicated. The academia, research scholars and technicians require specialized and scientific data, while the voters or journalistic fraternity/ media (non-specialized) prefer structured information. The likes of funding agencies, governments, bureaucracy, market representatives et cetera have a predilection to have some degree of details without being too technical in the SDG oriented information being put across to them. Currently, SDGs are aiding in the framing of policies however, it appears that the operationalization of goals as well as targets is being largely facilitated by the indicators. Ergo, the globally indicator framework could benefit from a revision conceptually and in terms of design for a more meaningful and unequivocal evaluation of SDG progress. Moreover, targets that can’t be quantified need to be worked on or done away with. International accords need to be linked up with the goals and their concomitant targets. Disharmonies between goals and targets also need to be solved. Along with this, since all member states are to work on progress reports and follow-ups, consistency of effort and commitment towards SDGs vary from governments to government. Hencre, there needs to be a mechanism starting with the developed countries where the process of some sort of accountability is done, even though the UN is not a supranational organization. (33)

In terms of the SDG-2 “Zero Hunger”, the nature of the approach ought to be ensconced in adaptation, participation and country centric solutions which are in unison with the domestic context i.e., dietary quality, capacities of the institutions, management of ecology and diversification of agri-food systems. Discourse over the said SDG need to factor in contrasting ideas such as industrial agriculture, food sovereignty, food insecurity in cities. Also, this goal needs to be understood beyond the commonly held interpretations which are empirically outmoded that food insecurity is majorly caused by unavailability of food and ecological management adversely impacts the yield volume (productionist approach). (34) Like other SDGs, zero hunger is universal in nature, albeit needs to be applied in accordance with the conditions and underlying information of different regions and member states. For instance, a case in point is malnutrition and food insecurity vis à vis the Caribbean and Latin America, where production of food very well goes beyond the demands of the population, however, inequitable distribution of healthy, balanced food continues to compound the food crisis. Furthermore, the significance of small-scale food producer needs to be acknowledged. They need to be empowered, helped with market information. (35) The use of big data and computation tools in this regard could not only help small scale producers survive but sustainably restructure agriculture, using deductive analysis, predictions about yield, weather patterns, market demand could make agriculture more efficient and greatly reduce food waste. Food systems enthusiast, and co-founder of “Family Dinner” Erin Baumgartner has successfully demonstrated it in New England collaborating with small local farmers. (36)

Farmers need to be made aware of “regenerative farming”, as it helps to improve the water retention ability and quality of the soil – soil has more micronutrients as it carries more carbon. It is by no means a new farming phenomenon, rather goes back to the 19th century, so this approach guides on how all solutions don’t come from use of technology, or having a future-oriented policy when it comes to improving agriculture productivity in a sustainable manner. Sam Trethewey who is a regenerative farming expert has put this into practice in Tasmania, Australia, and manifested how improving soil quality by locking carbon deep underground providing plants to develop a much more extensive and deeper network of roots, regenerative farming not only offers healthier yield but also sequesters carbon being emitted from other sources such as households/factories in the proximity of the farm. Carbon gets a bad name ignoring how humans are carbon-based life forms, so the key isn’t just to cut down on carbon, but to store or utilize it to the advantage of humanity. (37) In terms of Zero hunger, this approach can enable a more nutrient dense diet by either directly consuming regenerative farming plants or indirectly as livestock feeds on such plants. 

Plant geneticist, Joanne Chory shared a revolutionary biological remedy to sustainable agriculture by genetically modifying seeds to produce more suberin which a stable form of carbon, acting like a storage system for carbon underground rather than being released in the atmosphere as plants decompose. This method has been extended to crop plants as well; suberin enriched soil holds more sulfur, phosphate, nitrogen and water, which will contribute to better yield, while slowing down climate change through carbon sequestration. Currently, loss of yield due to depleting carbon levels in the soil is making the goal of feeding the earth’s population daunting. (38) Even though target 12.3 (SDG-12 – “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”) lucidly entail the need to decrease food losses and food waste, employs the index of Global food loss as an indicator (12.3.1), both SDG-2 and SDG-12 could benefit from any measure or policy implemented in this regard. For instance, legislation could be introduced to bind restaurants not to throw access food (edible) away, rather distribute it amongst the needy on a daily basis, this even ropes in the private sector in the daunting quest to achieve Zero hunger.

Moreover, one way the issue of the disruption of supply chain can be solved through promoting “urban agriculture.” Vertical hydroponic farming techniques can be adopted which use much less space and the conditions can be controlled much more than a conventional farm; an abandoned, non-functional factory or a warehouse could be transformed into a vertical farm. Having source of food production close to consumers in the cities help make supply chains shorter and less prone to factors like unpredictable weather patterns (food shortages can be mitigated). Hydroponic farming is attributed with growing nutrient dense produce much more than traditional method. (39) There is also a need for a much more multi-disciplinary approach to Zero hunger, even factors like refugee crisis and political upheavals need to be factored in this debate. All recommendations made above are applicable to Pakistan. 

Conclusion:

In a 2019 speech, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres underscored a three-layer action approach to fulfill the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals. Firstly, it deals with action of a global nature, which works towards ensuring more innovative solutions, global leadership and generation of greater resources. Second calls for a locally defined action through which regulatory edifice of all tiers of the government is revamped by introducing transitional policies, developing institutions, earmarking budgets aligned with the SDGs. Lastly is the action concerning the people, arguably a game-changer if it materializes profoundly. Mobilization of people from all walks of the life especially the youth, entrepreneurs, academics, thought leaders, civil society – which with the help of the media, can act as a juggernaut of transformation – can catalyze the process of achieving sustainable development. Such a planet saving endeavor requires shared responsibility and action to reconfigure the bond between man and nature. Notwithstanding how the lives of people around the have gotten better in the last one or two decades – more people have access to healthcare, housing, education – the sharp inequalities which stick out like a sore thumb and climate volatility pose to reverse positive developments. Ergo the need to invest in the levers of sustainable development for all is felt more than ever before. At the heart of SDG proselytism should be the objective to prioritize the population most vulnerable, and marginalized, those who couldn’t reap the dividends of globalization, the furthest behind. (40)

*About the author: Muhammad Firas Shams is currently doing MPhil Public Policy from the Center of Public Policy & Governance at FCCU. He was formally associated with the think tank, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).

Endnotes:

1.  United Nations Environment Management Group. “The UN Sustainable Development Goals”, accessed June 5, 2021, https://unemg.org/our-work/supporting-the-sdgs/the-un-sustainable-development-goals/.
2.  Svatava Janoušková, Tomáš Hák and Bedˇrich Moldan, “Global SDGs Assessments: Helping or Confusing Indicators?”, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, (2018): 1-3. 
3.  “The Sustainable Development Agenda”, United Nations, accessed June 5, 2021, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/.
4.  William E. Rees, “Defining Sustainable Development”, Centre for Human Settlements Research Bulletin, (1989): 1. 
5.  Janoušková, Hák and Moldan, “Global SDGs Assessments”, 3. 
6.  “Reduce inequality within and among countries,” United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development, accessed June 18, 2021,  https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal10
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10.  UN, “End Hunger.”
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12.  UN, “End Hunger.”
13.  UN, “End Hunger.”
14.  UN, “End Hunger.”
15.  Minà Dowlatchahi, “Zero hunger,” Dawn, November 2, 2020,  https://www.dawn.com/news/1588144
16.  Juliana Dias Bernardes Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2: Improved targets and indicators for agriculture and food security,” Ambio 48 (September 2019): 687–692, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1101-4 
17.  Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2,” 687–692. 
18.  Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2,” 687–692.
19.  Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2,” 687–692.
20.  Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2,” 687–692.
21.  Sam Trethewey, “How farming can help reverse climate change,” filmed February 2020 at TEDxBlighStreet, video, 15:07,  https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_trethewey_how_farming_can_help_reverse_climate_change
22.  Gil et al., “Sustainable development goal 2,” 687–692.
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27.  “Pakistan’s Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Voluntary National Review,” Government of Pakistan, 2019, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/233812019_06_15_VNR_2019_Pakistan_latest_version.pdf
28.  Dowlatchahi, “Zero Hunger.”
29.  Pakistan, “National Review.”
30.  Pakistan, “National Review.”
31.  “PM launches ‘Ehsaas Langar Scheme’ under a public private partnership,” Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Government of Pakistan, accessed June 8, 2021,  https://www.pass.gov.pk/NewsDetailWerFf65%5ES23d$gHdd59fb32-44da-4c4c-b329-6f30167216270ecFf65%5ES23d$Pd
32.  Farrukh Khan Pitafi, “Hunger and langar,” Express Tribune, June 8, 2021, https://tribune.com.pk/story/2077593/hunger-and-langar
33.  Janoušková, Hák and Moldan, “Global SDGs Assessments”, 1-4.
34.  Jennifer Blesh et al., “Development pathways toward zero hunger,” World Development Volume 118, (June 2019): 7,   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.02.004
35.  “Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture,” 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, accessed June 9, 2021, https://agenda2030lac.org/en/sdg/2-zero-hunger
36.  Erin Baumgartner, “Big data, small farms and a tale of two tomatoes,” filmed January 2019 at TEDx Natick, video, 14:49, https://www.ted.com/talks/erin_baumgartner_big_data_small_farms_and_a_tale_of_two_tomatoes#t-661941
37.  Trethewey, “Farming can reverse climate change.” 
38.  Joanne Chory, “How supercharged plants could slow climate change,” filmed April 2019, TED2019, video, 13:38, https://www.ted.com/talks/joanne_chory_how_supercharged_plants_could_slow_climate_change?referrer=playlist-itunes_podcasts_science_medicine&language=en#t-434171
39.  Sean Fleming, “What is hydroponics – and is it the future of farming?”, World Economic Forum, February 5, 2019,  https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/hydroponics-future-of-farming/
40.  UN, “Sustainable Development.”

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Baumgartner, Erin. “Big data, small farms and a tale of two tomatoes.” Filmed January 2019 at TEDx Natick, video, 14:49.

Blesh, Jennifer, Lesli Hoey, Andrew D. Jones, Harriet Friedmann, Ivette Perfecto. “Development pathways toward zero hunger.” World Development Volume 118, (June 2019): 1-14.   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.02.004

Chory, Joanne. “How supercharged plants could slow climate change.” Filmed April 2019, TED2019, video, 13:38.

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development, United Nations. “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” Accessed June 5, 2021. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal2.

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development, United Nations. “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” Accessed June 18, 2021. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12

Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Sustainable Development, United Nations. “Reduce inequality within and among countries.” Accessed June 18, 2021,  https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal10

Dowlatchahi, Minà. “Zero hunger.” Dawn, November 2, 2020. https://www.dawn.com/news/1588144

 Environment Management Group, United Nations. “The UN Sustainable Development Goals.” Accessed June 5, 2021.

Fleming, Sean. “What is hydroponics – and is it the future of farming?” World Economic Forum, February 5, 2019. 

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Food and Agriculture Organization. “Sustainable Development Goals.” Accessed June 7, 2021.

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Food and Agriculture Organization. “Metadata of SDG indicator 2.c.1 Indicator of (food) price anomalies.” Accessed June 7, 2021. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/sustainable_development_goals/docs/Metadata_template_2.c.1__Food_CPI_add_.pdf

Ghanem, Hafez. “How to Stop the Rise in Food Price Volatility.” Accessed June 7, 2021. https://carnegieendowment.org/2011/01/13/how-to-stop-rise-in-food-price-volatility-pub-42292

Gil, Juliana Dias Bernardes, Pytrik Reidsma, Ken Giller, Lindsay Todman, Andrew Whitmore & Martin van Ittersum. “Sustainable development goal 2: Improved targets and indicators for agriculture and food security,” Ambio 48 (September 2019): 685–698 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1101-4

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World Food Programme. “Pakistan.” Accessed June 7, 2021. https://www.wfp.org/countries/pakistan

Pakistan - Sharif, Zardari lambast ‘despicable’ Imran for ‘maligning’ military

 

A day after Imran Khan accused them of wanting to “appoint an army chief of their choice” to save their skin in graft cases, Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, whose Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a member of the ruling coalition, Monday lambasted former prime minister over the “despicable” attempt to “malign (state) institutions.”

Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, appointed as the Chief of Army Staff in 2016, was set to retire in 2019 but was granted a three-year extension that expires in the last week of November. A military spokesman has said he’s no desire to seek another extension, adding that a new chief of the army would be appointed by the prime minister.

Addressing a rally in Faisalabad late on Sunday, Khan said the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition wanted “to bring their own army chief (because) they are afraid that if a strong and patriotic army chief is appointed then he would ask them about the looted wealth.”

In saying so Khan implied that an “unpatriotic” army chief could be among the candidates for the top slot. Stressing that Gen. Bajwa’s successor should be chosen purely on merit, he said described Zardari and Sharif as “traitors” who could not be trusted with the fate of the country.

“Imran Niazi’s despicable utterances to malign institutions are touching new levels every day. He is now indulging in direct mud-slinging and poisonous allegations against Armed Forces & its leadership,” the prime minister said in a strong-worded tweet.

“His nefarious agenda is clearly to disrupt and undermine Pakistan.”

Zardari soon followed suit. In a statement shared on Twitter, he said the nation was now aware of the person spreading chaos in the country.

“Today, everyone knows [who is the] man and the beast. This man [Khan] is determined to weaken the country, but we won’t let that happen,” he alleged, vowing the government won’t let the state institutions and generals fall prey to Khan’s “lust”.

The former president also criticised the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab for “not actively participating” in the flood relief efforts, claiming that everywhere only the federal government could be seen.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal tweeted that amid the catastrophic floods, Khan had resorted to polluting the political space.

“Imran Niazi continues to pollute the political space and push the country towards extreme polarisation and putting blots on all state institutions including the appointment of new COAS.”

“What is his end game? More anarchy and chaos,” he asked.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/09/05/sharif-zardari-lambast-despicable-imran-for-maligning-military/

#Pakistan - Teaching the next generation

 

Nadeem Khan

There is a need to rethink the teaching methods often adopted by local educators.

Ahmad* has been studying for his bachelor's in nursing at a private institute in Peshawar. He and his class fellows have been assigned the task by his anatomy teacher to prepare 100 multiple choice questions (MCQs) from the lecture slides they have received from the teacher.

"What is the purpose behind this effort"? I ask him. "Our teachers have told us to do so," he replies. "They ask to just make MCQs from the lecture slides and then memorise them. The examinations are usually limited to the content of the lecture slides ". Some of them claim that some teachers have told them that there is no need to waste time reading thick books.

I try to persuade him that he should read the books instead of guessing or memorising the MCQs. I fail, maybe because he has been ‘educated’ in a society where marks and grades matter more than the comprehension and application of actual knowledge.

Ahmad's case represents a trend followed and promoted by many private schools and colleges across the country. Given my long experience as a teacher in Pakistan, having taught students from primary to tertiary level, I have observed that the institutes attract more students (read customers) if their students grab positions on examination boards.

Going through their MCQs for eight semesters, I wonder how these students will write their research reports. A final-year undergraduate student tells me that by God's grace, his research proposal has been accepted by the supervisor. "What was your research question?" I ask him. He smiles shyly and tells me that while it was nursing-related, he couldn't remember the topic. He also tells me that he and all his class fellows - around 50 students – are being supervised by the worthy principal of the college.

The principal sahib besides supervising these few students, has the responsibilities of a full-time nurse in a government hospital.

Nevertheless, the students of this college, like many others in this country, are proud not only of their high GPAs but also of the fact that they will be caregivers to the nation in the future.

The nursing school is just one example of how not to teach. There are many others. The primary education sector is no different.

The purpose of primary education is to develop all aspects of a child's personality, i.e., physical and emotional as well as cultural and intellectual. Therefore, academic success should not be defined in such narrow terms as preparing students for a particular examination. Instead, it should aim at refining the child's overall potential.

Seventy-five years after independence, it is high time to reflect on our educational journey and figure out the way we are heading.

At the primary level, games and group interaction are seminally consequential. It is through teamwork and games that children acquire a sense of respect for fellow humans, recognise what is right and wrong, learn how to cooperate and share their personal belongings with others, negotiate and resolve conflicts peacefully, obey rules and directions, demand their rights peacefully and express themselves politely. In short, primary education must grow our children socially and emotionally to prepare them not only for passing their written examinations but also for living a good life. Though the theory depicts a very promising future for our youngsters, the situation on the ground is different.

Zara, my nine-year-old niece who attends a nearby Government Girls Primary School, informs me that they are permitted to enjoy their recess inside their classrooms only. Being inside the classrooms, these little girls are allowed to eat or talk in low tones but not allowed to move around or make a noise.

"Why? What about the playground and the equipment the government has installed in it?" I ask her.

"Ma'am says you people make noise while playing in the ground, so she has put thorny woods in the slides and the see-saw and has locked the swing set with metal chains," she reports.

The agonising effect of this information notwithstanding, it isn't breaking news for me. I have been to many schools like this where this type of strictness, commonly known as 'good discipline' is appreciated.

Similar practices are observed in many private schools. At a local private school where this scribe worked as a teacher some years ago, the principal sahib – who had once been a taxi driver in Saudi Arabia and had passed his BA as a private candidate - asked the teachers to keep the students quiet inside the classrooms during the break. He argued that he wanted to impress the guests he usually received at that time in his office.

When I tried to explain to him that this policy would stunt students physically and mentally, he retorted by saying "this is not England or America. Our people love schools where there's good discipline. Don't you ever create problems by explaining these things to our kids."

Having limited options, I devised a plan to facilitate the students while avoiding the boss's ire at the same time. Thus, one of the students would keep an eye on the principal's office door while other students were allowed to sit, stand and stretch, albeit quietly.

Seventy-five years after independence, it is high time to reflect on our educational journey and figure out the way we are heading.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/988053-teaching-the-next-generation

Flood-hit Pakistan breaches lake in bid to save densely populated cities

 By Hannah Ritchie, Kathleen Magramo and Jan Camenzind Broomby

Pakistan authorities intentionally breached the country's largest freshwater lake on Sunday, displacing 100,000 people from their homes but preventing more densely populated area close by from being hit by flood water.

Water levels in Manchar Lake -- located in the country's southeastern Sindh province -- reached dangerously high levels on Sunday, prompting authorities to deliberately breach the lake, according to Jamal Mangan, Pakistan's Irrigation Special Secretary.Water released from the lake flowed into the nearby districts of Jaffarabad and Bubak, with the aim of sparing more populated cities and towns across Sindh, including Sehwan, Dadu and Bhan Syedabad, from the worst of the flooding, according to Mangan.Record monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan and melting glaciers in the country's northern mountains have affected 33 million people -- or 15% of its population -- according to government officials and aid organizations.A third of Pakistan was left underwater after experiencing the heaviest rains on record, according to satellite images from the European Space Agency (ESA). Some areas -- particularly the southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan -- have seen five times their normal levels of monsoonal rain.The number of deaths since mid-June rose to 1,305 as of Sunday -- with almost a third of the victims children -- according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).Three million children are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance across Pakistan due to the increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition, UNICEF warned in a statement Wednesday.

Several international aid agencies were beginning to arrive in flood-ravaged Pakistan on Monday, delivering much needed food, clean water and medicines to victims of what the United Nations has called a "monsoon on steroids." 'This will not be over in two months' Dr. Deedar Hussain from Pakistan's health department said he feared of an outbreak of waterborne diseases if the flood waters do not recede fast enough."Many patients have come to us. According to our register, we have received 16,000 patients (from over the district). Mostly patients are suffering from allergy because of (flood) water, and there are patients suffering from diarrhea and fever. Also there are patients suffering from malaria as we are conducting malaria parasite tests on them," Hussain told Reuters on Saturday.

Aurélie Godet, a press officer with Médecins du Monde, told CNN on Thursday the flood waters had washed away everything. "Survivors must start from scratch. They need urgently dignified shelters, affordable food, access to health and to basic commodities. But this will not be over in two months, they need a long-term aid," Godet said. Godet said that children have been coming to their clinics with severe injuries on their feet because they have no shoes. And she said some people can't afford their regular medicine because of price increases that are also making food too expensive, even outside the flood zone.

"In the dryer areas, survivors are telling us that one difference now for them is the prices of the food, because the roads are inaccessible. It is four times the prices of the market. They cannot afford to eat," she said. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on August 30 the floods were "the worst in the country's history" and estimated the calamity had caused more than $10 billion in damages to infrastructure, homes and farms.

According to charity Action Against Hunger, 27 million people in the country did not have access to enough food prior the floods, and now the risk of widespread hunger is even more imminent.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/05/asia/pakistan-floods-lake-manchar-intl-hnk/index.html

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Rich nations owe reparations to countries facing climate disaster, says Pakistan minister Sherry Rehman

 

Sherry Rehman, the country’s climate change minister, insists rich polluters must pay their due as the country is hit by devastating floods.

Rich polluting countries which are predominantly to blame for the “dystopian” climate breakdown have broken their promises to reduce emissions and help developing countries adapt to global heating, according to Pakistan’s minister for climate change, who said reparations were long overdue.

Close to 1,300 people are dead and a third of Pakistan is under floodwater after weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains battered the country – which only weeks earlier had been suffering serious drought.

In an interview with the Guardian, the climate minister, Sherry Rehman, said global emission targets and reparations must be reconsidered, given the accelerated and relentless nature of climate catastrophes hitting countries such as Pakistan.

“Global warming is the existential crisis facing the world and Pakistan is ground zero – yet we have contributed less than 1% to [greenhouse gas] emissions. We all know that the pledges made in multilateral forums have not been fulfilled,” said Rehman, 61, a former journalist, senator and diplomat who previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US.

“There is so much loss and damage with so little reparations to countries that contributed so little to the world’s carbon footprint that obviously the bargain made between the global north and global south is not working. We need to be pressing very hard for a reset of the targets because climate change is accelerating much faster than predicted, on the ground, that is very clear.”

An area the size of the state of Colorado is inundated, with more than 200 bridges and 3,000 miles of telecom lines collapsed or damaged, Rehman said. At least 33 million people have been affected – a figure expected to rise after authorities complete damage surveys next week. In the Sindh district, which produces half the country’s food, 90% of crops are ruined. Entire villages and agricultural fields have been swept away.

The main culprit is unprecedented relentless torrential rain, with some towns receiving 500 to 700% more rainfall than normal in August. Large swaths of land are still under eight to 10 ft of water, making it extremely difficult to drop rations or put up tents. The navy is carrying out rescue missions in normally arid areas where boats have never been seen, according to Rehman. “The whole area looks like an ocean with no horizon – nothing like this has been seen before,” said Rehman. “I wince when I hear people say these are natural disasters. This is very much the age of the anthropocene: these are man-made disasters.” Many have fled inundated rural areas looking for food and shelter in nearby cities which are ill-equipped to cope, and it is unclear when – or if – they will ever be able to go back. The total number of people remain stranded in remote areas, waiting to be rescued, remains unknown.

The water will take months to drain, and – despite a brief pause in the downfall – more heavy rain is forecast for mid-September.

 

You can’t walk away from the reality that big corporations that have net profits bigger than the GDP of many countries need to take responsibility.Sherry Rehman

Rehman, who was named minister for climate change in April amid a political and economic crisis that saw the ousting of the prime minister, Imran Khan, has said the government was doing everything possible but rescue and aid missions had been hampered by ongoing rain and the sheer scale of need.While sympathetic to the global economic challenges caused by the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine, she was adamant that “richer countries must do more”.“Historic injustices have to be heard and there must be some level of climate equation so that the brunt of the irresponsible carbon consumption is not being laid on nations near the equator which are obviously unable to create resilient infrastructure on their own,” she said.

There are also growing calls for fossil fuel companies – making record profits as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine – to pay for the damage caused by global heating to developing countries.Rehman said: “Big polluters often try to greenwash their emissions but you can’t walk away from the reality that big corporations that have net profits bigger than the GDP of many countries need to take responsibility.” The annual UN climate talks take place in Egypt in November, where the group of 77 developing countries plus China, which Pakistan currently chairs, will be pushing hard for the polluters to pay up after a year of devastating drought, floods, heatwaves and forest fires. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to global heating, and the current catastrophic floods come after four consecutive heatwaves with temperatures topping 53C earlier this year. It has more than 7,200 glaciers – more than anywhere outside the poles – which are melting much faster and earlier due to rising temperatures, adding water to rivers already swollen by rainfall.

“We’re going to be very clear and unequivocal about what we see as our needs and due, as well as where we see the series of larger global targets going. But loss and danger to the south which is already in the throes of an accelerated climate dystopia will have to be part of the bargain driven at Cop27,” she said.Richer polluting countries have so far been slow to cough up pledged money to help developing countries adapt to climate shocks, and even more reluctant to engage in meaningful negotiations about financing loss and damage suffered by poorer nations like Pakistan which have contributed negligibly to greenhouse gas emissions.

Discussion about reparations has been mostly blocked, leaving vulnerable countries like Pakistan “facing the brunt of other people’s reckless carbon consumption”.

“As you can see, global warming hasn’t gone down – quite the opposite. And there is only so much adaptation we can do. The melting of glaciers, the floods, drought, forest fires, none will stop without very serious pledges being honoured,” said Rahman.

“We are on the frontline and intend to keep loss and damage and adapting to climate catastrophes at the core of our arguments and negotiations. There will be no moving away from that.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/04/pakistan-floods-reparations-climate-disaster

#FloodsInPakistan2022 #FloodsInPakistan - What Is Owed to Pakistan, Now One-Third Underwater

By Fatima Bhutto

@fbhutto

We heard the story all the time, told as a warning: When man first set foot on Earth, all the winged animals flew high into the sky, and the fish dived deeper into the sea, scattering in fear because they knew the destroyer of the world had arrived.

What is folklore but prophecy?

Today, one-third of my country, Pakistan, is underwater. After unusually intense monsoon rains fell over several weeks, the waters from flash floods made their way into the Indus, overwhelming the riverbanks. According to climate experts, rapidly melting glaciers caused by rising temperatures added to the downward rushing superflood of epic proportions.

One in seven Pakistanis has been affected, with many sleeping under open skies, without shelter. About 900,000 livestock animals have been lost, and more than two million acres of farmland and 90 percent of crops have been damaged. In some provinces, cotton and rice crops, date trees and sugar cane have been nearly obliterated, and half of the onion, chili and tomato crops, all staple foods, are gone. Over 1,350 people are dead, and some 33 million people (50 million, according to unofficial tallies) have been displaced.

Climate change is very likely to have played a role in the extremely heavy rains, and it definitely played a role in the glacial melt. So you can call these people climate refugees. Remember that phrase. Your country will have them, too.

The worst-hit province, Sindh, in the south, suffers in extremis. It does not appear to have any disaster preparedness or any plans in place to reinforce water infrastructure or the barely functioning sewage system.Climate Forward There’s an ongoing crisis — and tons of news. Our newsletter keeps you up to date. Get it in your inbox.The survivors, the majority of whom are poor, must now avoid hunger and disease lurking in the rising, fetid floodwater. More rain is predicted. Much of Sindh is close to sea level, which means that the floodwaters from the north will continue rushing downstream.

Ahsan Iqbal, the minister of planning and development, has called Pakistan a victim of climate change caused by the “irresponsible development of the developed world.” Pakistan has about 2.6 percent of the world’s population and contributes less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions, and yet it has paid a monumental price. As a point of context, the United States accounts for only about 4 percent of the world’s population and yet is responsible for about 13 percent of global carbon emissions.

In 2019, Philip Alston, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights at the time, warned that global heating would undermine basic rights to water, food and housing. We faced a future, he said, in which the wealthy will pay to avoid these deprivations while the rest of the world suffers.

The Global North can help the poor of the Global South by taking responsibility for the losses and damage of extreme weather fueled in part by the burning of fossil fuels. The impact of decades of fossil fuel burning is already too severe — and applies too unevenly to the poor — for the Global North to deny culpability.

In 2010, a year that we were also deluged, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department recorded nationwide rains 70 to 102 percent above normal levels. Locally, the numbers were more terrifying. In Khanpur, a city in Punjab, it was 1,483 percent above normal. The rivers swelled, and the Indus and its tributaries soon burst their banks. A dam failure created floodwater lakes. USAID estimated that 1.7 million homes were damaged and more than 20 million people were affected. The economic losses were around $11 billion, and a fifth of the country was affected.Today’s superflood may well prove to be worse; at one point in Sindh Province, rainfall was 508 percent above average. The International Monetary Fund has released $1.17 billion in funds to Pakistan that was allocated for a government bailout in 2019. The secretary general of the U.N. has asked member states to give $160 million. But I.M.F. money comes with painful strings attached for countries like Pakistan, and it will not be enough to rebuild or to prevent other disasters. This is climate change. It is relentless and furious, and this is not the worst we have seen of it.

The lack of attention to Pakistan is heartbreaking: Too few major international cultural figures are speaking up for us in this moment of crisis. It is either a snide form of racism — that terrible things happen to places like Pakistan — or an utter failure of compassion. But Pakistan has long been a cipher, a warning for the world, just like those old stories. And so the wealthy world would do well to pay attention. The horrors that Pakistan is struggling with today could soon come for everyone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/opinion/environment/floods-in-pakistan-climate-change.html

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#FloodsInPakistan2022 - Why are Pakistan’s floods so extreme this year?

Smriti Mallapaty

One-third of the country is underwater, following an intense heatwave and a long monsoon that has dumped a record amount of rain. With rivers breaking their banks, flash flooding and glacial lakes bursting, Pakistan is experiencing its worst floods this century. At least one-third of the country is underwater. Scientists say several factors have contributed to the extreme event, which has displaced some 33 million people and killed more than 1,200.

Researchers say the catastrophe probably started with phenomenal heatwaves. In April and May, temperatures reached above 40 °C for prolonged periods in many places. On one sweltering day in May, the city of Jacobabad topped 51 °C. “These were not normal heatwaves — they were the worst in the world. We had the hottest place on Earth in Pakistan,” says Malik Amin Aslam, the country’s former minister for climate change, who is based in Islamabad. Warmer air can hold more moisture. So meteorologists warned earlier this year that the extreme temperatures would probably result in “above normal” levels of rain during the country’s monsoon season, from July to September, says Zia Hashmi, a water-resources engineer at the Global Change Impact Studies Centre in Islamabad, speaking in his personal capacity.

Glacial melt

The intense heat also melted glaciers in the northern mountainous regions, increasing the amount of water flowing into tributaries that eventually make their way into the Indus river, says Athar Hussain, a climate scientist at COMSATS University Islamabad. The Indus is Pakistan’s largest river, and runs the length of the country from north to south, feeding towns, cities and large swathes of agricultural land along the way. It isn’t clear exactly how much excess glacial melt has flowed into rivers this year, but Hashmi visited some high-altitude glaciated regions in July and noticed high flows and muddy water in the Hunza River, which feeds into the Indus. He says the mud suggests that there has been rapid melting, because fast water picks up sediment as it moves downstream. Several glacial lakes have burst through the dams of ice that normally restrain them, releasing a dangerous rush of water.The heatwaves also coincided with another extraordinary event — a depression, or a system of intense low air pressure, in the Arabian Sea, which brought heavy rain to Pakistan’s coastal provinces as early as June. “We rarely have large-scale depression systems arriving there,” says Hussain.These unusual features were then exacerbated by the early arrival of the monsoon on 30 June, which “was wetter generally over a larger region for a very prolonged period of time”, says Andrew King, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

The effect is that Pakistan has received almost twice its average annual rainfall. The southern provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan have received more than five times that average. “The flooding is all over,” says Hashmi.

Once on land, much of that water has nowhere to go. More than 1.2 million houses, 5,000 kilometres of road and 240 bridges have been destroyed. In Sindh, an elongated lake has formed, tens of kilometres wide, and more water will continue to pour into it, says Aslam. “The worst is not over.”

Other factors

Some weather agencies have also predicted that the ongoing La Niña climate event — a phenomenon that is typically associated with stronger monsoon conditions in India and Pakistan — will continue until the end of the year, says King. “It’s not a super strong link, but it probably is playing a role in enhancing the rainfall.” Human-induced global warming could also be intensifying downpours. Climate models suggest that a warmer world will contribute to more frequent and more intense rainfall, says Hussain. Between 1952 and 2009, temperatures in Pakistan rose by 0.3 °C per decade — higher than the global average.

Researchers and public officials also say that other factors have probably added to the devastation, including an ineffective early-warning system for floods, poor disaster management, political instability and unregulated urban development. A lack of drainage and storage infrastructure, as well as the large number of people living in flood zones, are also implicated. “These are governance issues, but they are minuscule in relation to the level of the tragedy that we are seeing occur,” says Aslam.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02813-6

Bilawal mocks Imran for holding ‘concerts’ amid flood devastation

Foreign minister advises former PM to become a good human being first and politician later.

Lashing out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that Pakistan was facing the biggest disaster in its history but the former prime minister was busy holding "concerts" in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

“Pakistan is facing the biggest disaster in our history. 1/3 of our country [is] underwater! 1/7 citizens [are] affected, 35 million ppl! [While] Ex-PM is holding concerts in KP & Punjab," he wrote on his official Twitter handle.

He said that the chief ministers of both provinces – Punjab and K-P – were busy organising PTI’s ‘musical event’ instead of helping flood victims. "Shameful, pehaly insan bano, phir siyasatdan bano! (become a good human first and then a politician)," he advised the former prime minister.

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#FloodsInPakistan2022 #FloodsInPakistan - Fleeing responsibility

 Adnan Aamir

@iAdnanAamir

The scale of devastation in Balochistan is such that the rehabilitation is said to be beyond the governments’ capacity.

Murad Ali, a 36-year-old father of five, lives in Lakhra tehsil of Lasbela district. The homes of Ali and many of his relatives have been destroyed by flood water. “Fifty houses in my neighbourhood have been damaged,” he says. To top it off, he has fallen ill on account of shortages of safe drinking water and food. He says there are no functional medical health facilities or doctors in the area. Tens of thousands of people in Balochistan have been hit by the natural calamity. Elderly people tell this scribe that they have never seen rainfall like this in Balochistan. The rain has resulted in flash floods in many areas. Lack of disaster preparedness, poor governance and corruption have aggravated the devastation. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the floods have resulted in 230 deaths; another 98 people being wounded in accidents caused by the rains and floods. Almost 27,000 houses have been damaged, 710 kilometres of roads have been rendered useless; 18 bridges have collapsed. Moreover, half a million livestock have perished and crops on more than 200,000 acres have been destroyed. Almost all districts of Balochistan have been affected. The last time Balochistan experienced massive floods was in 2010. But the damage suffered then pales in comparison with the damage caused by the floods this year.

Lasbela, Balochistan’s coastal district located near Karachi, has been badly hit by the floods. Roads passing through Lasbela, most prominently the Quetta-Karachi Highway, has been blocked for many. Former chief minister Jam Kamal, one of the MPAs from Lasbela, has decried the government inaction. He has been using social media to highlight the lack of relief work in Lasbela, allegedly to settle political scores.

The provincial government has been severely criticised for its failure to act timely to help the populace. Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has been criticised for his long stay in Islamabad considering the province is in a state of crisis. The PDMA has also been castigated for its failure to help those in need. By way of a response, the PDMA has banned the entry of a local journalist in its office. The journalist had criticised the performance of the PDMA in a TV interview.Rains during the early monsoon spells last month had caused flash floods in several areas and destroyed dozens of water storage dams. It soon came out that the damage was caused by poor construction quality. This was seen as an indicator of corruption in the award of construction contracts and regenerated the debate on the need to take strict measures to curb corruption in the public sector.The parliamentary opposition in Balochistan is also nowhere to be seen in this time of crisis. The BAP government has been ruling the province without a stiff opposition. It is alleged that the BNP-Mengal and the JUI are informally supporting it.

The floods had started wreaking havoc in Balochistan at the beginning of August. However, most of the disaster escaped the media’s attention. Eventually, the scale of devastation was revealed on social media. This then compelled the administration to take this calamity seriously. Government institutions, federal as well as provincial, were quite slow in starting rescue and relief activities.

One instance of social media working for the people in distress was the Kana Yaari singer of Coke Studio fame, Wahab Bugti. Bugti’s home was washed away by floods in his native Dera Bugti town. He was seen on social media holding his children next to the collapsed walls and flood water. The report on social media generated sympathy and calls to help him and others like him. The family was then moved to Dera Murad Jamali. He is now being taken care of, thanks to his fame and social media support. Thousands of people similarly affected by the rains and floods have not been that lucky and still await help.Voluntary groups and civil society organisations have tried to help the people in need. Almost 13,000 affected people have received some form of aid from such bodies. Social workers in many parts of Balochistan are using social media to collect donations, which they are using to help people in their areas. The informal support mechanism has been way more effective in helping people than some well-established government bodies.

Qaisar Roonjha heads the Welfare Association for New Generation (WANG), a civil society organisation that has been helping the flood affected in rural areas of Lasbela. He tells The News on Sunday that his team of volunteers has been providing relief on the ground. “Along with providing relief, we have been paving the way for other relief organisations to continue their work in the area,” Roonjha says.

Calls for international humanitarian bodies to help out have increased following complaints of the government failure. Under pressure, the government has agreed to host a donor conference. Given the scale of devastation, many people believe that the rehabilitation of the affected people is beyond the capacity of the provincial and federal governments.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/985707-fleeing-responsibility

In Pakistan, Waterborne Diseases Surge as Floods Recede

By Munir Ahmed

In addition to those traumatized by the flooding, doctors are now treating people suffering from diarrhea, skin infections, and other waterborne ailments.

Officials in Pakistan raised concern Wednesday over the spread of waterborne diseases among thousands of flood victims as waters from powerful monsoon rains began to recede in many parts of the country.

Massive flooding from the rains since mid-June has killed at least 1,162 people, a phenomenon experts blame on climate change.Some doctors said initially they were seeing mostly patients traumatized by the flooding, but are now treating people suffering from diarrhea, skin infections, and other waterborne ailments in the country’s flood-hit areas.

The development has forced the government to deploy additional medical teams and dispatch medicine besides providing clean drinking water to survivors, many of whom are living in tents and makeshift homes.

The warning came a day after record-breaking floods prompted the United Nations to formally issue an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to the impoverished Islamic nation, where about a million homes have been damaged or destroyed.Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, health minister in the country’s worst-affected province of Sindh, said officials have set up 4,210 medical camps in the province’s flood-hit areas to treat victims now suffering from skin and waterborne diseases, which are common during floods.The World Health Organization began aiding Pakistani authorities in their efforts to treat people injured in the rains and flooding. The agency said in a statement that it was working to increase surveillance for acute diarrhea, cholera and other communicable diseases to avoid spreading further, and is also providing medicine and medical supplies to health facilities.

“WHO is working with health authorities to respond quickly and effectively on the ground,” said Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the WHO representative in Pakistan. “Our key priorities now are to ensure rapid access to essential health services to the flood-affected population, (to) strengthen and expand disease surveillance, outbreak prevention and control, and ensure robust health cluster coordination.”

Authorities said waterborne diseases among flood victims are now common across the country.

“Initially we received injured people, but now diarrhea is common,” said Farhad Khan, a physician in charge of a medical camp set up in the northwestern town of Charsadda. It is one of the worst flood-hit districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, where floods killed 257 people since mid-June.

Pakistani authorities backed by the military, rescuers, and volunteers, have struggled to evacuate marooned people to safer places. On Wednesday, military helicopters continued evacuating flood victims and delivering food to remote regions, according to a statement released by the military. It said it has deployed at least 6,500 troops to assist in rescue and relief operations.

Rescuers were also using boats to evacuate stranded people in southern Sindh province and in remote villages in eastern Punjab province, according to government officials. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a visit to the flood-hit Swat Valley promised the rehabilitation of every person displaced by the flood. In his televised comments, Sharif thanked U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for responding to Pakistan’s request and issuing an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to help flood victims. Guterres on Tuesday urged the world: “Let’s stop sleepwalking toward the destruction of our planet by climate change.”

Sharif’s visit comes days after a raging Swat River destroyed the iconic New Honeymoon Hotel in the northwestern tourist resort of Kalam. There were no casualties as tourists and staff left the hotel following government evacuation instructions, and residents in Kalam said many streets there were still flooded.Pakistan says it has received aid from some countries and others were dispatching aid, too. According to initial government estimates, the devastation caused $10 billion in damage to the economy.

Kamran Bangash, a government spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said with evacuations wrapping up, officials are now focused on providing food and clean drinking water to flood victims.

“We fear the outbreak of the waterborne disease in flood-hit areas,” he told The Associated Press. He said hundreds of people have contracted such illnesses in various parts of the province.“In recent weeks floodwater badly affected hundreds of thousands of people. We don’t want them to again suffer; this time due to non-availability of clean water and it can be avoided,” Bangash said.

Although the rains stopped three days ago, large swaths of the country remain under water, and the main rivers, the Indus and the Swat are still swollen. The National Disaster Management Authority has warned emergency services to be on maximum alert, saying flood waters over the next 24 hours could cause further damage.

https://thediplomat.com/2022/08/in-pakistan-waterborne-diseases-surge-as-floods-recede/

‘Climate disaster of biblical proportions’: Pakistan Foreign minister warns flood damage will exceed $10 billion

Emma Graham

Pakistan’s foreign minister made an urgent call for international aid, with the death toll from historic flooding across the country expected to rise in the coming days.Already reeling from an economic crisis, flood waters have submerged over one third of the country in water, killing over 1,000 and impacting 33 million people.Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the country’s foreign minister, told CNBC’s Dan Murphy Thursday that he fears the damages from the natural disaster will exceed current estimates of $10 billion, adding that the crisis in the country is still ongoing and in the “rescue and relief phase.”

The flooding, which Bhutto Zardari told CNBC is “a climate disaster of biblical proportions,” covers over 95,000 square miles of land. Bhutto Zardari said the crisis is far from over, as “southern areas of Pakistan are still bracing themselves for the flooding to come through the rivers from the north.”

“Pakistan at this point in time, are paying in their lives and in their livelihoods for a climate disaster that is not of their making,” he said. Pakistan’s contribution to global carbon emissions is less than 1%, but it’s among the 10 most affected countries in the world by climate change.

The South Asian nation of over 220 million people reported a 27% inflation rate for August, according to government data, and was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Its currency has tanked while net foreign reserves have dwindled to just $8 billion in August, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.

Political infighting has gripped the country since April, after the ousting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been charged under anti-terror laws by Pakistan’s police. Food Inflation Impact Rural areas in Pakistan have been hit the hardest by flooding, which will have a compounded impact on Pakistan’s farming industry, and ultimately the cost of food. Bhutto Zardari told CNBC “about 80 to 90%” of Pakistan’s crops have been damaged by the floods. The International Rescue Committee report that 4 million acres of crops have been destroyed with 800,000 livestock perishing. Prior to the disaster, food inflation in rural provinces was much higher compared to urban areas. For instance, the cost of onions in Pakistan’s urban areas increased by 89% from July 2021 to July 2022. In rural areas, that cost increase topped 100%. The International Monetary Fund on Monday approved the release of $1.1 billion to Pakistan in special drawing rights, a part of its bailout program which began in 2019.

The money was already part of a relief program to help Pakistan stabilize its economy. Pakistan has now launched a joint appeal with the United Nations for about $160 million, which Bhutto Zardari told CNBC “is obviously a very conservative estimate about the bare minimum requirements at this moment.”

Over a million homes have been destroyed, and Bhutto Zardari added that key infrastructure like bridges, road networks, and dams have been damaged. Pakistan going forward, he says, will need “large scale reconstruction, which will require a lot of work.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/02/pakistan-warns-flood-damage-will-exceed-10-billion.html

#Pakistan - Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari thanks Saudi Arabia for continued assistance for Pakistan flood victims

 

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a telephone call with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and briefed him on the magnitude of devastation caused by floods and torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also thanked Saudi Arabia for its strong expression of solidarity and continued assistance to flood-affected people.

https://www.radio.gov.pk/02-09-2022/fm-bilawal-phones-saudi-counterpart-to-discuss-flood-situation

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سېنېټر مشتاق د علي وزیر د خلاصون غوښتنه وکړه

د جماعت اسلامي سېنېټر مشتاق احمد خان وايي، له جنوبي وزیرستانه د قامي اسمبلۍ غړی او د پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ یو مخکښ علي وزیر ته دې انصاف ورکړل شي او ژر دې له جېله خلاص کړل شي

. دا خبره نوموړي د سېپټمبر پر لومړۍ نېټه وروسته له هغې مشال راډیو ته وکړه چې د اګست پر ۳۱مه یې د کراچۍ په سېنټرل جیل کې د علي وزیر سره ولیدل. پر علي وزیر د کراچۍ په بیلا بیلو سیمو کې جوړو غونډو ته د ریاست ضد ویناګانو تور دی چې نوموړی یې ردوي. هغه له تېرو ۱۸ میاشتو راهیسې بندي دی. سېنېټر مشتاق مشال راډیو ته وویل، علي وزیر بیګناه دی او مجرم نه دی، خو ورسره چلند د مجرمانو په شان کېږي او یوازې د خپلو خیالاتو او سیاسي رایې په بنیاد تر اوسه په جیل کې ساتل شوی دی.

هغه وايي:

"له بده مرغه دېره موده ووته خو علي وزیر ته پارلیمان، عدالتونو او سیاسي جماعتونو انصاف ور نه کړل شو. زه په پارلیمان کې وخت په وخت د علي وزیر لپاره د انصاف اواز اوچتوم چې دا ظلم دې بند کړل شي، هغه ته دې انصاف ورکړل شي او هغه دې ازاد کړل شي. زما اراده وه چې زه کله کراچۍ ته ولاړ شم نو د اظهار همدردۍ لپاره، یکجهتۍ لپاره به له هغه سره خامخا ګورمه." سېنېټر مشتاق زیاته کړه چې علی وزير د کراچۍ په سېنټرل جیل کې د عامو قیدیانو په شان ساتل شوی دی. د هغه په خبره علي وزیر پر خپلې خاورې د امن، د پاکستان د بشري حقونو، ولسي واکمنۍ او د ایین او قانون د بالادستۍ لپاره په خپله مبارزه ټینګ ولاړ دی.

علی وزیر هغه وخت د پېښور پولیسو ګرفتار کړ چې د ۲۰۲۰م کال د ډېسمبر پر ۱۶مه یې د ارمي پبلک سکول د پېښې په یاد کې په یوه دستوره کې یې وینا کوله. هغه مهال د پېښور پولیسو وویل چې د کراچۍ د پولیسو په وینا یې نوموړی نیولی چې وروسته یې سند صوبې ته واستولو او له هغې راهیسې هم په کراچۍ کې په جیل کی دی. په ټولو څلورو مقدمو کې پر علي وزیر د ریاست ضد ویناګانو او د خلکو پارولو تورونه دي چې پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ او نوموړی یې ردوي. پي ټي اېم وايي، پر وزیر جوړې مقدمې سیاسي دي او دا چې ټولې هلې

ځلې یې د قانون او ایین په چوکاټ کې دي.

https://www.mashaalradio.com/a/32014272.html

د سیند های کورټ د ۲۰۱۸ز کال د شاه لطیف ټاون په مقدمه کې وزیر ته ضمانت ورکړی . د کراچۍ د ترهګرۍ ضد عدالت د اګست پر ۱۹مه د د ۲۰۱۹ز کال د سهراب ګوټ په قضیه کې د وزیر د ضمانت په اړه درخواست اورېدنه کې فیصله محفوظه کړه . د عدالت جج ویلي وو چې کاري موده یې سر ته رسېږي نو نوی جج به د کېس فیصله وکړي. سېنېټر مشتاق احمد خان وړاندې وویل، دا د تشویش خبره ده چې څلور میاشتې کېږي د علي وزیر د ضمانت درخواست اورېدنه تر اوسه نه ده پیل شوې. نوموړي تور پورې کړ چې دا ټولې تاخیري حربې دي او زیاته یې کړه د هغه کېس د سیاسي ګوندونو، پارلیمان، عدالتي نظام او په پاکستان کې د بشري حقونو د تنظیمونو لپاره یو چیلنج دی.

بل پلو، له شمالي وزيرستانه د قامي اسمبلۍ غړي او په اسمبلۍ کې د بشري حقونو د قایمه کمیټۍ غړي محسن داوړ د سېپټمبر پر لومړۍ نيټه مشال راډيو ته وويل چې د علي وزير قضيي د رياست د ټولو ادارو دوه مخيزه معيار په ډاګه کړ چې په هېواد کې قانون د ټولو لپاره يو شان نه دی. هغه وايي: "د علي وزير مقدمې دا نظام ښکاره کړ او د سياسي ګوندونو مصلحتونه يې هم راڅرګند کړل چې تر څومره حده پورې تاسو سره اختيار دی او تر څومره حده پورې تاسو ودرېدلی شئ، خپل واک اختيار څومره کارولې شئ. نو زما په فکر دا هر اړخيزه ناکامي ده. علي وزير دې سياسي حکومت ته ووټ ورکړی دی او اوس هم د حکومت برخه دی، وزيراعظم (شهباز شريف) ته یې رايه ورکړې وه خو د دی باوجود هغه (علي وزير) بندي دی. موږ په وار وار حکومت ته يادګيرنه کړې ده خو له هغې (حکومت) خوا تسلي بخش ځواب نه دې راغلې. موږ به په دې اړه پريکړه کوو او علي سره به هم مشوره کوو او د هغې په رڼا کې به ګام پورته کوو. " محسن داوړ زیاته کړه په دې وروستيو کې پخواني وزيراعظم عمران خان په ولسي جلسه کې ججانو ته ګواښونه کړي وو خو د دې باوجود ورته ضمانت ورکړل شو. پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ د ۲۰۱۸م راهیسې په سیمه کې د بدامنۍ، هدفي وژنو، ماورا عدالت وژنو خلاف او د لادرکو کسانو موندلو تر څنګ سیمه له ماینونو نه د پاکولو غوښتنې لري چې لپاره یې وخت په وخت مظاهرې او جلسونه کړي دي. په پاکستان کې د بشري حقونو کارکوونکو، مدني فعالانو هم د علي وزیر د خوشې کولو لپاره په هڅو کې برخه اخیستې ده.