Pakistan gets highest-ever $200 mln grant to redress environment issues

February 18, 2020: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said Pakistan would initiate work on multiple projects under $ 200 million grant by Green Climate Fund (GCF) to mitigate environmental degradation in the country.

He said Pakistan has formally had received grants of around $200, adding "The GCF funding given to Pakistan is the highest ever international amount."

He said the GCF grants would help finance crucial projects, including installation of 40 monitoring stations in the Northern Areas’ glaciers, Zero Emission Metro Bus project Karachi and Climate Smart Agriculture, aimed at reducing the devastating impacts of global warming and increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

Amin said the glaciers of Northern Areas were melting apace and had developed numerous glacial lakes that required urgent attention to have proper monitoring, besides issuing early warnings to the local communities for optimum disaster preparedness and management.

He noted that the Zero Emissions Metro Bus Karachi was the world’s first project with least emissions that would be established as a model of biogas fuel using buses plying on 30 kilometers route.    

The Adviser specifically mentioned that the Climate Smart Agriculture project would be implemented in collaboration with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). A memorandum of understanding was recently signed with FAO to implement the project in 8 districts of South Punjab and Sindh, he added.

“It will be a pilot project whereas the study/consequences of project would be implemented across the country to transform our agriculture sector on climate change resilient and adaptive terms”, he said.

He also admired the people of Kohistan for their sacrifices and cooperation for a national cause and said that construction work of all components was in progress at a rapid pace and would be completed by earlier-2025.

Earlier, during the visit of the dam site, WAPDA Chairman also reviewed the construction activities at main access tunnel leading to the power house, the two diversion tunnels, project offices and colony where the project management briefed the Chairman of the progress on main civil and preparatory works in the project area.

APP