While the COP21 in Paris is a great opportunity for world leaders to discuss adaption and mitigation strategies in the face of Climate Change, global warming is already showing its direct effects in Pakistan. From the alarming melting rate of glaciers in the Himalayas causing floods across the country, to the drought prone districts located in Sindh, Thar and the Kohistan region, climate change is a day-to-day reality for a lot of struggling communities in Pakistan. Although Pakistan is emitting less than 0.1% of the global carbon emissions, it has been at the top of the most climate change affected countries worldwide for years
Flooding and droughts have already endangered millions of lives across the country. Last July, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) caused unprecedented damage to life and infrastructure, killing 32 people in Chitral, North of the country, while damaging over 1,400 homes. Similarly, droughts in the South, in Sindh, have resulted in limited access to sustainable sources of income for households, exacerbated by a multitude of factors, including chronic poverty and malnutrition.
Climate change adaptation activities: a cornerstone of ACTED’s efforts in Pakistan
As such, a cornerstone of ACTED’s efforts in Pakistan has been to expand our focus on climate change adaption. Part of this effort has been the promotion of renewable and clean energy, thus contributing towards the goals set by the UN Framework on Climate Change. ACTED sees itself as having an important role by providing community solutions which are easy to use and can be maintained at a low cost. Among other integrated interventions ACTED teams have worked on the following projects:
ACTED has already promoted skills related to solar energy through an European Commission-funded vocational-focused project (TVET) that has been running since 2012. Via this project, ACTED has introduced classes for future Solar Panel Technicians. The provision of this technical training empowers young Pakistanis to exercise a technical profession that they can be proud of. It enables them to install, maintain and repair solar panels in order to ensure a sustainable future source of income in a market that is expected to grow in the coming years with Pakistan's transition towards renewable energies.
Additionally, under a DFID funded project ACTED has installed solar-based water supply schemes (SWSS). A SWSS is a pump running on electricity generated by photovoltaic panels or the thermal energy. This energy is collected from sunlight as opposed to an electricity grid. The operation of solar powered pumps is more economical mainly due to the lower operation and maintenance costs and has less environmental impact than pumps powered by electricity. Solar pumps are useful where grid electricity is unavailable or where there are excessive power cuts. As a result of this activity, beneficiary households have received a source of sustainable water supply which is solar-dependent, and thus they no longer have water availability issues as a result of electricity shortage/load shedding.
Contributing to Disaster Risk Reduction strategies
ACTED is also committed to following the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy and Climate Change Strategy. ACTED has installed a micro-hydro power station (MHPS) in Northern Pakistan to allow people to recover from the 2010 floods and have access to an efficient sources of energy, with support from the Japanese government. The MHPS creates energy from the river flow. It works when the flowing water pressure turns a turbine in the station and the equipment inside converts this energy into electricity.
As part of its Disaster Risk Reduction strategy module, ACTED has also promoted environmentally friendly and more resilient forms of construction and practices, such as the use of lime in shelter construction, the construction of smoke-free and fuel efficient stoves and the distribution of solar lights.
ACTED is also part of the new DFID Natural Disaster Consortium under which five organizations will be implementing a four year natural disaster programme in Pakistan (IOM, FAO, UNICEF, HANDS and ACTED). Under this programme ACTED is already targeting and has responded to the needs of communities affected by floods in Chitral as well as North and South Sindh. ACTED has provided the NGO FOCUS with financial means and training to target 1,000 families in Chitral. These flood-affected communities will receive shelter assistance as well as winterized NFI kits.