Pakistan Among UN ‘Drought-Hit’ Countries List
by Naba Batool
SHARES
According to a report released by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Pakistan is listed among 23 other countries that have been facing drought emergencies in the last two years.
Among Pakistan, the UN drought-hit countries list also includes Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, the United States, and Zambia.
The report further stated that there is an urgent need to provide immediate funding to these developing and above-listed countries so that the situations can be tackled in a better manner. In addition to immediate disaster management action, there is also an obvious need to rehabilitate an area of four million square kilometers.
UN lists Pakistan among ‘drought-hit’ countries - And rightly points out the need for urgent financing for 23 countries facing desertification. We also need capacity to even seek such financing, which is pledged at big tent conferences but never disbursed https://t.co/J7YLWI5Vxv
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) May 15, 2022
United Nations Global Land Outlook also states that the desertification control through sustainable land management services is non-existent in Pakistan with over 80% of the country’s land being arid or semi-arid.
Pakistan is suffering from these severe drought conditions because of land degradation and desertification. Various anthropogenic activities and poor farming practices can be the leading cause of this degraded rangeland. It is also coupled with deprivation of natural resources, overpopulation, and poor access to healthcare services.
All of this has a direct impact on the health and well-being of the local population. Drought can lead to the unavailability or the scarcity of natural resources which can create quite an underwhelming condition for the affected communities.
Thus, the government is expected to make radical initiatives to tackle this issue so that the worst can be avoided at all costs.
