Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik has called for greater use of satellite technology, artificial intelligence, and digital modelling to improve Pakistan’s disaster preparedness and protect vulnerable communities from climate related hazards. Speaking at the closing ceremony of an international conference in Islamabad titled “Leveraging Space Technology for Early Warning for All, Climate Action and Disaster Risk Assessment,” he said the government would work towards producing an annual satellite based report before the next monsoon to identify construction and human activity in riverbeds and floodplains. According to the minister, satellite evidence can point to vulnerable locations and give land use planning and disaster risk reduction a scientific basis that applies equally to everyone, regardless of the economic or political influence of those involved.
The minister placed particular weight on location specific early warning systems, saying that a warning is of little use unless it reaches the people who are directly exposed to a hazard. He summed up the point by saying that a warning without an address is addressed to no one, and he stressed the need for a mechanism through which residents, tourists, city dwellers, and communities living in vulnerable mountain areas can receive timely alerts about an approaching disaster. He recalled a flood incident in which a family was caught in rapidly rising water even though an earlier warning had been issued, arguing that the case showed why scientific information must be turned into practical steps that save lives. He also referred to the reported deaths of around 4,600 people in Karachi during a week long heatwave and asked why such losses continue when the science and the capacity to forecast extreme weather already exist.
Dr Malik said disaster preparedness needs a proper follow up system, drawing a comparison with doctors who do not stop at diagnosis and treatment but also monitor how a patient is recovering. He highlighted the value of digital twins, which are virtual models of physical places, in assessing risks linked to building collapses, weak construction standards, unsuitable zoning, and poor drainage. Satellite data, he said, gives authorities evidence based information about land use and environmental change, which allows them to identify risks and make informed policy decisions, and he called for wider use of artificial intelligence and advanced computing to speed up scientific research and improve disaster risk assessment.
The minister also invited universities, research institutions, and young innovators to make use of satellite data through the recently launched green innovation startup fund of 10 million United States Dollars, and he specifically encouraged the National University of Sciences and Technology, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Aga Khan University, and international universities to take part and develop applications that can support disaster preparedness. He urged scientists and researchers to direct their work towards the protection of vulnerable populations, adding that rescue operations should be the last resort and not the first response. If the annual satellite report is produced as announced, it would give provincial and local authorities a regular, evidence based view of encroachment on rivers and floodplains ahead of each monsoon season, at a time when flooding has repeatedly affected communities across the country.
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