LAHORE - The speakers at a seminar said that 2013-14 federal budget allocated Rs. 58 million for the Climate Change Division; however, the amount has been reduced to merely Rs25 million in the 2014-15 fiscal, which is insufficient to meet the challenging environmental issues the country faces today.
They said that the budgetary announcement puts a question mark on the fate of millions of Pakistanis, who are already suffering due to environmental degradation. Kalabagh Dam is the only solution of the water shortage and energy crises being faced by the country. Hence, the decisions on projects of national importance should be taken on administrative grounds instead of political considerations, as building consensus on KBD seems impossible, observed the former Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah.  He was addressing a seminar on ‘Effects of Climate Change on Small Island Developing States and its Mitigation’ organized by Pakistan Engineering Congress in connection with the environment day. Shah highlighted that “we are facing water shortage, hence requires large dams to increase our water storage capacity. We have to construct dams to save the water which was coming due to melting of glaciers and we are wasting this water in ocean.”
Shah showed his apprehension that if country fails to build dams then we will be unable to use water which we are getting according to Indus Water Treaty adding that we will also get less water from the rivers of Kashmir. The Minister for Environment Shuja Khanzada said Punjab govt has constituted 35-member council for the environment protection which was headed by  CM . The council will present recommendations to the Punjab CM soon.
He said that pollution in Lahore is high but after the completion of metro bus project pollution level has decreased.
 on the route of the metro bus.