ISLAMABAD:
The early warning system installed in Gilgit-Baltistan for protection against glacial lake floods (GLOF) remained inactive.
This was revealed during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review monsoon preparedness and climate-related risks.
Taking note, the Prime Minister ordered a high-level inquiry into the non-functional cases and directed all relevant institutions to expedite coordinated preparations before the next monsoon.
The Prime Minister expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the continued inactivity of the early warning system, despite clear guidelines issued last year.
He warned that negligence and weak institutional performance would not be tolerated and stressed that protecting citizens from environmental risks remains a core responsibility of all departments, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Prime Minister asked federal ministries and provincial governments to remove bottlenecks hindering policy implementation and ensure full operationalization of digital monitoring infrastructure for early warning systems.
During the meeting, NDMA, WAPDA and the Ministry of Climate Change briefed the Prime Minister on the progress made in line with earlier guidelines. Senior federal ministers, advisors, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials of relevant departments attended the session.
Energy security
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, terming energy security as an essential part of the country’s future planning, said on Thursday that the government’s timely measures regarding energy conservation in the current regional situation helped avert a crisis.
The prime minister, chairing a high-level meeting on energy security, said work was underway on a plan to maintain strategic crude oil reserves in the country, taking into account future energy needs.
Furthermore, he said that for energy saving and sustainable development, transportation means should gradually shift to environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs).
The Prime Minister ordered in the future to purchase only electric buses and motorcycles for government use and to accelerate the establishment of charging stations for electric vehicles.
Calling for a strategy to facilitate the acquisition of batteries for storing excess solar electricity, he said local manufacturing of high-quality storage batteries should also be encouraged.
During the briefing, the meeting participants were informed that the National Coordination and Management Council (NCMC) was reviewing the energy situation on a daily basis.
He was informed that sufficient stocks of petroleum products were available and the food security situation in the country was also stable.
Pakistani astronauts
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Pakistani astronauts Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, who were selected for a manned space mission, and described their participation in space research as a historic achievement for the country and a matter of national pride.
Astronaut Attaché Hasnain Iftikhar of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was also present in the meeting held here at the Prime Minister’s Office, according to a press release.
