ISLAMABAD: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $250 million for a program led by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen water and agriculture systems in glacier-dependent regions of Pakistan, Central Asia and the South Caucasus, the ADB said on Wednesday.
The funding part of the “Glacier to Farms” program will focus on the glacier-fed river basin of Swat in northwestern Pakistan along with the Naryn and Pyanj in Central Asia, the Kura in the South Caucasus.
It will be invested alongside $3.25 billion from the ADB over the next 10 years in projects spanning irrigation, water storage and watershed management. The program aims to help millions of people belonging to climate-vulnerable communities adapt to the impacts of climate change including glacial melt, water shortages and extreme weather events.
Pakistan is consistently ranked among the countries most adversely affected by climate change, which has triggered irregular weather patterns in the country including unusually heavy rains, floods and glacial lake outbursts.
“Rapid glacial retreat is one of the most complex development challenges faced by our region,” said Yasmin Siddiqi, ADB Director for Agriculture, Food, Nature and Rural Development. “We need practical, scalable and science-based solutions to help communities adapt.”
“With catalytic support from GCF, Glaciers to Farms will help move the region beyond fragmented projects and toward systemic, long-term resilience that protects lives and livelihoods now and for future generations,” she added.
The ADB program covers nine member countries including Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. All these countries rely on glacier and snow-fed rivers for agriculture, domestic water and electricity generation.
The ADB said around 13 million people including farmers and vulnerable populations in mountain regions will benefit from the program, which supports glacier assessments and strengthens early warning systems to help communities mitigate the impacts of glacial lake outbursts.
The program will support social protection schemes and health services for vulnerable communities affected by water shortages and extreme heat stress.
It will also strengthen the capacity of local banks to support agricultural businesses.
The GCF, the world’s largest climate fund, is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which helps developing countries fight environmental changes by supporting projects and programs that cut greenhouse gas emissions and help vulnerable communities adapt.
Pakistan has borne the brunt of climate change in recent years despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Annual monsoons are vital for agriculture and water needs but in recent years have unleashed destructive flooding and landslides killing over thousands.
Heavy rainfall and floods this year have killed 1,037 people across Pakistan.
In 2022, over 1,700 people lost their lives in floods that affected 33 million out of the country’s 220 million population.
