950818

Climatic changes, sea level rise

Committee set up to

study threat to

coastal industries

ANWAR RAJANI

KARACHI: A cabinet committee headed by Hamid Nasir Chattha, MNA has been formed to ascertain the impact of coastal warming and sea level rise on the industrial units situated along the Pakistan coast.

The committee has started collecting data in this regard from various national agencies, bodies and industrial units located in various sectors of coastal economy to assess the impact of overall climatic changes with a view to determining the likely effect of coastal warming and sea level rise on the operational activities and future development of coastal areas in Pakistan.

A two-day national workshop on "Coastal Warming and Sea Level Rise" will be held in Karachi on September 17-18 in which the report and national action plan to cope with the impact of coastal warming and sea level rise would be finalized.

At present, information is being collected with regard to the major anticipated effect of climatic change within and around the coastal area occupied by various organisations and industrial units with special emphasis on the loss of land in Indus Delta due to sea level rise, increased coastal erosion, increased sea encroachment and salt water intrusion in Indus Delta and damage to port structures and coastal installations.

The other points that are engaging the attention of the cabinet committee relate to the fisheries resources, acquaculture potential, mangrove forest, sea salt, recreational potential etc.

Major bottlenecks and constraints are also being determined in the formulation and implementation process of the land use plan in relation to the possible effects of climatic change and a sea level rise.