Even after 75 years of its independence, Pakistan is grappling with a myriad of challenges both internally and externally. Climate change is one of the daunting issues that need to be addressed immediately. Although Islamabad has achieved the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG-13) of “Climate Action” in 2020 – 10 years prior to the 2030 deadline – climate-related concerns have resurfaced. The situation of Balochistan suffering from flash floods and torrential rain is evidence in this regard. To cope with such anthropogenic disasters, climate literacy is the need of the hour which is currently 43%.
Such climate-related instances have wreaked havoc because of the exponential rise in population. Pakistan is currently the fifth-largest populous country with over 220 million population as of 2022. If the current trend continues, it is projected to increase to around 300 million by 2040. The country is already experiencing ramifications in the form of water scarcity, food insecurity, poverty and unemployment.
Pakistan’s per capita water availability has drastically reduced to 860 cubic metres from 2150 CM in between 1980 and 2017. Its after-effects are already visible in the region as Punjab and Sindh have been quarrelling over the long-held dispute of unequal distribution of water resources.
Another sticking point in the way toward progress and development is food insecurity. As per the United Nations Development Programmes National Human Development report, food insecurity in Pakistan has risen to 38%. The same report has highlighted that stunted and wasted growth rates in children under 5 are 38% and 18% respectively. Moreover, the Global Hunger Index has ranked Pakistan 92 in its 2021 report. Furthermore, the ongoing flare-up between Russia and Ukraine has aggravated the situation as Islamabad is the third-largest importer of wheat from Kyiv.
The fifth stumbling block is the interrelated problem of poverty and unemployment. In accordance with the World Bank’s statistics, poverty rates in Pakistan during the periods 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-2023 are projected at 39.3%, 39.2%, and 37.8 respectively. Be that as it may, improvement in the said issue is minuscule. Thus, in conjunction with the SDG-1 and SDG-8 in respect of poverty and unemployment respectively, equal opportunity should be the order of the day.
In view of the above-mentioned facts, there is a dire need to formulate a broad-based and consensual framework aimed at envisioning a better and prosperous future.
MUHAMMAD AFTAB AHMAD,
Faisalabad.
