Pakistan: The impact of climate change on rural women and children

 Saturday 14 December 2024

Islamabad (Point News Today / Pakistan Point News - 14th December, 2024 ) Pakistan is among the five major countries in the world most affected by climate change. Severe climate change over the past few years has had a profound impact on rural life, including shortage of clean water, decline in agricultural production, food shortages, and lack of basic amenities such as education and health.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, more than 60 percent of the country’s total population lives in rural areas.

Niloofar Bakhtiar is the former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women. According to a statement she made in a recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), climate change in Pakistan is not just an environmental problem but a humanitarian crisis, which is disproportionately affecting rural women and children.

They say that women in rural areas are not aware of the risks of climate change, while a lack of training and awareness prevents them from participating in decision-making, which affects the entire family during or after any disaster.

Dr. Shakeel Hayat, who works for WaterAid in Pakistan, told DW Urdu, “Climate change affects water first and foremost.

In urban areas, alternatives to water scarcity are easy, such as arranging water tankers, etc., but in rural areas, the situation is dire for women. Rural women spend most of their time collecting water, which affects their own health as well as their children’s care and education.”

She said that the effects of climate change are not the same for everyone.

During displacement after natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes, women face toilet and physical hygiene problems, which in turn increases cases of sexual violence and reproductive health problems.

Impact of climate change on the Pakistan-India water dispute

In addition, children are falling ill and dropping out of school due to lack of clean water and physical hygiene.

Along with water, the effects of climate change are being felt in every sector, such as health, education, energy and transport. Despite this, only three percent of funds have been allocated for the water sector in Pakistan’s annual budget, which is very low.

“To address these issues, we will have to increase investment in water projects to increase the resilience of communities, reduce pressure on the health sector and ensure a better and safer life for women and children,” he says.

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“Rural women’s lives are very difficult due to drought in areas like Thar,” Amir Hussain, a social development specialist with the World Bank in Islamabad, told DW. These women, despite being pregnant or carrying newborn babies, travel to fetch water from remote areas in temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius.”

He said that not only does this journey affect women’s health, but they also face the risk of sexual assault.

Similarly, the lack of timely health care for pregnant women affected by natural disasters increases maternal and child mortality rates and also affects child development.

He added that sustainable measures, as well as government and international cooperation, are needed to solve this problem.