Scorching temperature reaches 50.2c

Danish Yakoob speaks to students at a seminar on climate change in Pakistan. Photo: Pat Visanti SSC

Danish Yakoob speaks to students at a seminar on climate change in Pakistan. Photo: Pat Visanti SSC

Columban Fr Liam O'Callaghan, coordinator of the Ecology Commission for the Hyderabad Diocese in southern Pakistan, recently shared with the Editor of the Irish edition of the Far East magazine, Sarah McDonald, some of his impressions of the climate and environmental problems in Pakistan.

He says, "the effects of climate change in some parts of Pakistan are horrendous. I am convinced that climate change is the biggest issue facing Pakistan today." Citing data from a 2019 international study on climate risk, he said Pakistan has experienced 145 extreme weather events from 1998 to 2017, leading to the deaths of over 10,000 people. The country is ranked the eighth most affected by climate change in the world.

One of the major effects in Sindh province, where he lives, is scorching temperatures. "On 30th April 2018, in the city of Nawabshah, a temperature of 50.2 C was recorded, a world record," he said. “Monsoon rains too have become much more unpredictable, and the rainfall is much heavier, very often leading to flooding," he said.

Because of flooding and other factors, unsafe drinking water is a chronic problem. Waterborne diseases constitute about 80% of all diseases and are responsible for 33% of deaths. Of 336 water samples tested across 13 districts of Sindh province, 75% of them were unfit for human consumption.

"The health of people is very poor.” Fr Liam says. “I help out in a parish where over the last two to three years there has been an increase in young deaths, people dying in their 30s and 40s due to unclean water and poor nutrition. We are trying to raise awareness of the importance of drinking clean water and we are researching different types of water filters, ones that are affordable to the poor."

The lack of forest coverage across the country is exacerbating other problems such as air pollution and flooding. Pakistan has one of the lowest levels of forest coverage in Asia, totalling just 1.9% of the country, which is next to nothing. Experts say that 20 to 25% of a country's land area should be forested. If there were forests the flooding wouldn't be as severe. Fr Liam welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement of a national tree plantation drive to fight the effects of climate change. The plan calls for up to 10 billion trees to be planted across the country over the next five years.

In 2015, Fr Liam helped translate Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si', Care for our Common Home, into Urdu. But Christians are a small minority in Pakistan, totalling just 2.5 million out of a population of 207 million and only half of the Christians are Catholics. Their marginalized position means little access or influence with those operating the levers of power or making the laws.

Fr Liam stresses that it is not just Christians, but the poor in general, who are adversely affected by the climate crisis. As the majority of Christians are poor, they are one of the most affected groups. In the cities they live mostly in poor areas with no access to clean drinking water. As Christians do much of the manual work, the heat and poor levels of nutrition greatly affect their health.

Although convinced of the importance of interreligious dialogue and working together with the people of Muslim faith, Fr Liam speaks of the difficulty getting Christians and Muslims to work together on climate issues.

Many Christians suffer discrimination from the majority Muslim population. Hindus too and especially the lower castes are often despised while the Ahmadis are considered non-Muslim and even heretics by the Sunni majority and are the most oppressed group in the country.

So far, Fr O'Callaghan said, he has not succeeded in collaborating with any Muslim Imams on the climate issue. "But I am working with some NGOs [Non Governmental Organizations], and there are Muslim schools that we go to. But it is very hard to find an 'in.' I visit Mosques and try to make connections but I haven't succeeded in working on a joint plan yet.

Part of the work is trying to meet Government and local officials to keep encouraging them to do something. It is frustrating in that I don't have access to the people that we should be targeting - those who can make change happen."

He said the Columban parish in Badin is active in promoting environmental protection and in the past year he and his Columban co-worker, Danish Yakoob, have begun to focus on training environmental activists in three schools and two community groups. "Last year with help from Misean Cara [an organization supporting the development work of Irish missionaries around the world] we focused on small awareness-raising projects in schools and giving seminars to the wider community," he said.

"We have been training up two Christian community groups called Mahool Dost or 'Friends of the Earth' in the local language, through workshops and a plantation. It is very much at a local level."

He added: "We journey for a year with students and teachers in each school, and with the community groups. The idea is to work in a more in-depth way with a few people, so that they in turn may become agents of change in their families and the wider community, building up awareness and changing habits to protect themselves and their families."

In the context of the overall environmental crisis, he regards his efforts as a "drop in the ocean" but, convinced of the need for change and progress for the sake of the land and its people, he and his associates are not letting up on the task.

Edited version of an article in the National Catholic Reporter by Sarah McDonald, Editor of the Irish Far East magazine.

Listen to "Scorching temperature reaches 50.2c"

Related links

The Far East - New Subscription

Code : 4

In Stock | MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION

$6.00  

Annual subscription to The Far East magazine, published by St Columbans Mission Society 8 times per year. It features mission articles and photographs by Columban Missionaries from the countries where they work.

 

See all products