The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being observed today (Friday) to raise awareness about the methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought.
This year’s slogan for the day is ‘Rising Up from Drought Together’.
The President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, gave a statement for the occasion and emphasized the need for Pakistan to collaborate with regional countries, in particular, and with the rest of the world to save the world from droughts and ensure food security.
He mentioned that the impact of droughts can be mitigated by developing water sources such as micro dams, ponds, and wells, and through water rationing and the restoration of pastures.
Dr. Alvi is working in many areas to mitigate the impact of droughts and is making efforts in the implementation of a national-level program to plant 3.29 billion plants over an area of one million hectares in desertification and drought-prone areas.
The Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman’s message for the day stressed the need to commence work on improving drought preparedness and building drought resilience. She said that droughts cannot be prevented but they can be prepared for by conserving water.
Minister Rehman added that Pakistan is striving to achieve its voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality Targets by 2030.