STAFF REPORT ISLAMABAD: The progress in the environment sector showed a dim picture during the outgoing fiscal year mainly due to unavailability of funds. To make things worse the government reduced allocation of the sector from Rs3.5 billion in 2009-10 to Rs2.5 billion in 2010-11.The major initiative taken by the government last year was the implementation of National Environmental Policy including the National Sanitation Policy and National Drinking WaterPolicy.
The Climate Change Policy was also finalized, however, it is yet to be approved.Apart from that, the Planning Commission’s task force, established in October 2008, completed its report on climate change, delivering its proposals for adoption and mitigation of different departments including agriculture, livestock, energy, and forestry.In Pakistan, total area covered by forests in the country is only 4.21 million hectares.
Moreover, Pakistan has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, according to WWF.The main causes of low forest cover are arid and semi-arid climate in large parts of the country, urbanisation, overexploitation of forests, illegal logging, and conversion of forests into agricultural lands and abstraction and extraction of river waters without caring for the needs of forests.
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