https://arab.news/bvud8
- Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik addresses World Urban Forum conference in Baku
- Minister says millions in Pakistan being pushed deeper into poverty by floods and heatwaves
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has said that the last four floods triggered by climate change have killed around 6,000 people, warning that floods and heatwaves were pushing people deeper into poverty and stressing the need for designing policies in favor of the poor instead of the rich.
Malik was speaking at the World Urban Forum (WUF) conference in Baku, which kicked off from May 17 and is scheduled to take place in the Azerbaijan capital till May 22. The WUF was established in 2001 by the United Nations to examine rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.
Pakistan is cited as one of the worst affected countries by climate change. Torrential floods and heatwaves which scientists link to climate change impacts, have killed thousands of people over the past few years in Pakistan.
Malik spoke about inadequate housing at the conference, warning that millions of Pakistanis were being pushed deeper into poverty by floods, heatwaves and collapsing urban infrastructure.
“It’s the poor that take the brunt of this crisis,” Malik said on Sunday. “Just over the past four floods, 6,000 people have died in Pakistan.”
He said that about 20,000 people have either suffered injuries or been disabled by climate-induced floods, adding that 40 million people, which is more than the population of most countries around the world, have been displaced by floods in Pakistan.
Malik said Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have undertaken work on housing projects for the poor.
“But I want to be honest and I want to bring to the attention of this August house that we treat affordable housing as a welfare instrument and not as a right,” the minister said. “And that must change.”
He said that around 2.8 billion people worldwide are living in inadequate housing facilities, with about 300 to 400 million homeless. He informed the audience that nearly 50 percent of Pakistan’s population live in cities, while around 55 million people live in slums.
The minister called for building housing projects for investors but for the people.
“And we should hear the voices of the poor, because their voices are not present here today,” he said.
Pakistan’s government has cautioned authorities to prepare for the monsoon season this year well in advance through early warning systems and other precautionary measures. Torrential rains and excess water released by dams in India killed over 1,000 people during the monsoon season last year, displacing millions especially in the eastern Punjab province.