Climate Change & DRR

Living with Climate Change

Climate change is no longer an issue for the distant future but a hard reality already taking place.

According to a report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an increase of 0.6°C during last century and a likely increase of 2°C to 4°C in the twenty-first century is expected despite necessary measures being adopted to counter its effects all over the world.

Pakistan is the 16^th country in the world most vulnerable to climate change. Around 23% of the country’s land and nearly 50% of the entire population is estimated to be exposed to potential natural disasters due to climate change. The challenges range from the a combination of poverty and population growth, leading to the over-exploitation of natural resources to the unplanned increase in industrialization and urbanization, leading to the pollution of water, air and land. In July/August 2010, Pakistan saw unprecedented floods besides other unusual events costing the nation US$9.5 billion and leaving an enormous portion of the country’s farmland destroyed along with much of its infrastructure.

Program Objectives  

• To enable vulnerable local communities in Sindh to better understand and respond to climate change risks and   thereby adapt to growing climate change pressures
• To develop the human and technical capacity of public institutions to understand and address immediate climate   change risks for vulnerable communities in Sindh
• To integrate climate risk awareness and responsiveness into economic and operational planning and strengthening   proactive disaster management

• Identify climate change induced risks and vulnerabilities
• Prioritize adaptation efforts at the climate sensitive areas
• Building capacities of program partners in research and promotion of the climate resilient technologies
• Climate variability and impact assessments
• Prioritize and strengthen the existing capacities
• Mainstreaming adaptation into longer term sustainable development and poverty eradication strategies through advocacy, networking and policy dialogue
• Integrated forestry resource management at the local level

• Technology research and product development on efficient and alternate energy and housing
• Dissemination, promotion and technology transfer

• Hazard Mapping, Vulnerability and capacity Assessments
• Formation and strengthening of Community disaster risk management groups at the village and union council level
• Strengthening early warning systems at the local level
• Strengthening search and rescue mechanisms at the local level
• Building capacities of communities, local government authorities, media in CBDRM
• Developing emergency stockpiling at the local level
• Building linkages of the community groups, CBDRM structures with the government, INGOs

• Development and promotion of hazard resilient construction technologies in hazard prone areas of Sindh, Pakistan
• Energy efficient low cost housing embedding components of energy conservation, replacing fired bricks with compressed earth blocks, damp proof, local material usage
• Low cost flood resistant housing using salvage materials in the flood affected areas of Sindh Pakistan
• Training of local artisans, skilled workforce on the features of DRR Compliant constructions

• Review of the national and provincial policies
• Map the policy gaps and suggest recommendations to policy makers
• Policy implementation dialogues with communities, relevant institutions, media and the political cadre

1. Conducted climate change scoping in Sindh province
2. Reviewed draft national climate change policy through rigorous consultations with communities, academia, civil society and the media
3. Developed and constructed 200 energy efficient housing units in Thatta and Karachi coastal areas
4. Constructed more than 2000 flood resistant housing units in Thatta, Dadu, Jamshoro districts of Sindh
5. Constructed 900 low cost housing units for the poor in district Nawabshah, TandoAllahyar and Hyderabad districts of Sindh
6. Installed more than 3000 energy efficient cooking stoves
7. CBDRM in 17 union councils of Dadu district is in program
8. Organized trainings on climate change mitigation and adaptation for the civil society and media professionals
9. Organized communities in drought affected areas of Thatta and Dadu and build their capacities in eco agriculture and water conservation technologies
10. Demonstrated micro irrigation technologies in Thatta and Dadu districts
11. Conducted mapping of the actors working on climate change in Sindh
12. Compiled and published booklets on animal instincts in disasters
13. Compiled and published book on environmental outlook of district Dadu
14. Developed a short informative tele drama on ‘Climate and Communities’ in local language

1. Program document in place as part of strategic plan for 2011-14
2. Experience of implementing climate change and DRR and emergency interventions
3. Trained human resource
4. Organizational SOPs in place
5. Finance and HR software
6. Strong social base in the communities
7. Working relations with government authorities, civil society and the media