Devolution of Environment Ministry likely to create serious problems

The devolution of Environment Ministry in accordance with 18th amendment would create serious policy implications for the government as climate change has emerged in the form of major global challenge with devastating threat to Pakistan's ecology.
This was consensus among the speakers at a seminar arranged by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) titled "Institutional Arrangement for Climate Change: Role of the Ministry of Environment" here on Thursday. Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, Head of Climate Change Study Centre and Arshad H Abbasi, Advisor, Water and Energy, Shafqat Kakakhel, former United Nations Assistant Secretary General Senior and diplomat were the eminent speakers.
They said that India has planned to construct 190 hydropower power projects on River Indus, Jhelum and Indus having gross power capacity of 33382 Megawatts (MW) in its 12th five-year plan (2012-17). These projects have Trans-boundary environmental impact. He added that in accordance with a decision of International Court of Justice lower riparian country has the right to demand the Environmental Assessment Report (EAP) before physical execution of the Projects to access potential environmental damage.
They mentioned "The Court's judgement vindicated Uruguay's assurances that based on a comprehensive environmental impact analysis and strict monitoring of the plant's discharges, it was environmentally sound in all respects with no risk of harm to the river or its surroundings". Pakistan was a lower riparian country as compared to India in South Asian Region and for this task Ministry of Environment and Pak-EPA has to play a pivotal and central role.
Arshad Abassi opposing the idea of transferring Environment Ministry to provinces as per 18th amendment said that according to a World Bank report environmental protection agencies in provinces are only ceremonial so it is not feasible to leave this responsibility to them.
He said that India has agreed with Pakistan in Pak-India dialogue held in Dubai last year that Pakistan has the right to demand Trans-boundary EIA, in light of decisions of International Court of Justice and Verdict of neutral experts in the case of Baglihar Dam.
Shakeel Ramay presented the cost of damages to environmental and natural resources in Pakistan and said that estimated costs were as follows: $1867 million for water, sanitation and hygiene, $1,167 million in terms of soil erosion and salinity, $2200 million in terms of air pollution. He said that actual cost of damages to environment and natural resources was even higher. Ramay said that according to a World Bank Report, Pakistan faced a cost of Rs 1 billion per day. He said that not enough resources were provided towards protection of the environment. He further elaborated that if the Ministry of Environment is devolved, more problems are likely to evolve.
He said that the Constitution made during a time when Climate Change issues were not prominent but now there was a need for addressing the issue. Shafqat Kakakhel mentioned that in a country like Pakistan where livelihoods of most of the people depend on agriculture, repercussions of climate change would be devastating for the economy. As a result there will be oscillation between floods and draughts that will be directly attributed to climate change.
He also gave certain recommendations in his presentation; there should be climate wings in all the relevant ministries and it needs to be integrated in developmental policies, inter-ministerial co-ordination needs to be improved, all the organs related to climate need to be strengthened, economic policy for climate is needed, Prime Minister's committee on climate change can serve as an apex body and above all increased co-operation on international, regional and bilateral level is needed. It is important to keep the ministry because climate change is not any one ministry's business it should actually act as a co-ordinating body, representation on different platforms and implementation is the job of the federation. Provinces lack the capacity and an informed decision needs to be made.