ISLAMABAD:
The early warning system installed in Gilgit-Baltistan for protection against Glacial Lake Outbursts (GLOFs) remained inactive.
This was revealed during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review pre-monsoon preparedness and climate-related risks.
Noticing it, the prime minister ordered a high-level inquiry into the non-functionality and directed all relevant institutions to expedite coordinated preparations ahead of the upcoming monsoon season.
The prime minister expressed strong displeasure over the continued inactivity of the early warning system despite clear directives issued last year.
He warned that negligence and weak institutional performance would not be tolerated and stressed that protecting citizens from environmental hazards remains a core responsibility of all departments, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The Prime Minister directed federal ministries and provincial governments to remove bottlenecks hindering policy implementation and ensure full operationalization of digital surveillance infrastructure for early warning systems.
During the meeting, NDMA, WAPDA and the Ministry of Climate Change briefed the Prime Minister about progress made in accordance with earlier directives. Senior Union Ministers, Advisers, Provincial Chief Secretaries and top officials from relevant departments attended the session.
Energy security
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who on Thursday called energy security a vital part of the country’s future planning, said the government’s timely measures regarding energy conservation in the current regional situation averted a crisis.
The prime minister, who chaired a high-level meeting on energy security, said work was underway on a plan to maintain strategic reserves of crude oil in the country for future energy needs.
Furthermore, he said that for energy conservation and sustainable development, means of transportation should be gradually converted to environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs).
In the future, the Prime Minister ordered to buy only electric buses and motorcycles for government use and speed up the establishment of charging stations for electric cars.
He called for a strategy to facilitate the procurement of batteries to store excess solar energy and said local manufacturing of high-quality accumulators should also be encouraged.
During the briefing, the meeting participants were told that the National Coordination and Management Council (NCMC) reviews the energy situation on a daily basis.
It was informed that adequate 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 have been selected for a human space mission and described their participation in space exploration as a landmark 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 during the meeting held here at the Prime Minister’s Office, a press release said.
