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US Envoy Blome Backs Climate Resilience Efforts at ‘Recharge Pakistan’ Launch

ISLAMABAD: US Envoy Donald Blome speaking at the Recharge Pakistan launch event stated:

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge our host, the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services — an independent, first-of-its-kind research and training facility for parliamentarians, constructed with funding from the United States.

PIPs has provided training to more than 800 parliamentarians and staff, and conducted hundreds of policy research projects for members of parliament. Thank you for welcoming us today.

I am delighted to be here as we join our partners in launching Recharge Pakistan – an ambitious climate initiative that will strengthen flood resilience and improve water security in some of Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities.

Groundwater is critical to providing families with clean drinking water, to irrigating crops, and to raising livestock. Much like a battery, groundwater powers the land, enables crops to grow, and provides clean water so people can not only survive but thrive.

As a result of the climate crisis, nature is losing its ability to recharge the battery. Hard ground does not capture water.

Instead, water runs downhill along the surface and turns into floods that devastate peoples’ lives and livelihoods. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can restore and rebuild nature’s ability to capture rainwater, filter it, and return it to the ground – making it available for families, to farmers, and to livestock. And that’s exactly what we’ll do – together with our partners – through Recharge Pakistan.

Recharge Pakistan’s network of green infrastructure projects will rehabilitate floodwater channels, rerouting excess water away from where people live and work. It will reforest and restore wetlands to prevent dangerous runoff.

It will revitalize the soil’s ability to absorb excess water and store it underground. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 52,900 tons of carbon dioxide. And it will replenish the water supply by creating 127 new groundwater storage basins.

All told, Recharge Pakistan will reduce flooding hazards for more than 50,000 hectares. It will provide Pakistani families, businesses, and farms access to clean, fresh water year-round.

And it will improve the livelihoods of 687,000 people and indirectly benefit more than seven million people across the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh.

The United States’ partnership with Pakistan on water management has a long history dating back to the 1960s.

Our collaboration on the Mangla, Tarbela, Gomal Zam and Satpara dams provides more than 95 percent of Pakistan’s water storage capacity, generates clean energy, mitigates floods, and bolsters Pakistan’s economy.

In recent years, through the U.S.-Pakistan “Green Alliance” framework, we’ve partnered with both industry and the Government of Pakistan on renewable energy, smart agriculture and water management.

Our efforts have created new opportunities for Pakistani businesses to access climate financing from offshore, opening up new opportunities and creating jobs.

We have supported startup businesses to bring new technologies and skills to Pakistan’s labor force. The United States has provided $5 billion to the Green Climate Fund.

And together, we are bringing new investment in renewable energy to help Pakistan achieve its ambitious goal of reaching 60 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Recharge Pakistan builds on that strong partnership, with an additional $5 million U.S. contribution that demonstrates our enduring commitment to building a brighter, more prosperous future for the Pakistani people.

As the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is already feeling the effects of the climate crisis every day. 2022’s devastating floods displaced more than eight million people and caused more than $15 billion in economic damage.

Rising temperatures have taken a toll on Pakistan’s majestic glaciers. And Pakistani farmers have seen crops wither under droughts.

But by coming together, we can help communities adapt, mitigate, and even reverse some of the worst impacts of climate change. And we can do it in a way that lifts up local communities.

I’d like to thank the team at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and the WWF, whose hard work over the past five years with affected communities to identify project sites, and build out plans, laid the groundwork to make the ideas behind Recharge Pakistan a reality.

Building a coalition of common action is critical to meeting the climate crisis head on. And the United States is proud to join forces with Coca-Cola, Green Climate Fund, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Government of Pakistan on this landmark initiative.

The United States will continue to broaden and deepen our partnership with Pakistan to protect climate-vulnerable communities, and build a greener, more prosperous and climate resilient future.

ISLAMABAD: Conspicuous among others there were Minister Malik, Coordinator Khurshid, Senator Rehman, World Wildlife Fund Vice President Black, Coordinator Alam, Director General Khan & Coca Cola Foundation Senior Director Sarwari.

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FACTSHEET

Recharge Pakistan project.

Total Project Cost: $77,800,000

USAID’S Contribution: $5,000,000

Total funding to date (by USAID): $1,000,000

Length of Project: Jul 2023 – June 2028 (up to 2030)

Implementing Partner: World Wildlife Fund

Geographic scope: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan

Recharge Pakistan is a landmark initiative that will reduce flood and drought risk, lower GHG emissions, and support climate-resilient businesses in Pakistan. The project will improve the resilience and livelihoods of 687,000 people and indirectly benefit over seven million people.

USAID contributed $5.0 million to a partnership with WWF and the Coca-Cola Foundation, which contributed $1.8 million and $5.0 million respectively.

This partnership will leverage a $66 million grant from Green Climate Fund (GCF) to complement natural systems (watershed, wetlands, drainage system, forestation) to enhance Pakistan’s climate resilience with the goal of reducing flood and drought risk across the Indus Basin.

The project will introduce an ecosystem-based approach and a network of green infrastructure to increase groundwater recharge, reduce flood hazard, promote climate smart agriculture, support private sector engagement and strengthen policy environment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces.

Recharge will implement these interventions in D.I.Khan and Ramak watershed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), Manchar Lake (Sindh province), and Chakar Lehri watershed (Baluchistan province).

Recharge Pakistan targets:

Restore and reforest 14,215 hectares of forests and wetlands
Rehabilitate 34 KM of floodwater channels
Create 127 groundwater recharge basins and storm-water retention areas
Strengthen the climate resilience of seven local businesses in the agriculture and forestry sectors
Reduce flooding hazards for over 50,000 hectares
Reduce GHG emission by 52,900 tons of CO2 equivalent

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M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.