ISLAMABAD: The Green Climate Fund (GCF), a global organization working for environmental improvement, has approved $250 million in aid for Pakistan.
According to a statement from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the approved amount will be used for the “Glaciers to Farms” project. The project aims to support water systems originating from glaciers to better cope with environmental challenges.
The statement said that the aid will help farmers in Swat by improving agriculture and irrigation facilities. The project will be completed with the support of the ADB, which will also invest more funds over the next 10 years.
The funding aims to strengthen Pakistan’s water and agriculture systems. Around 13 million people are expected to directly benefit from the project.
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The Green Climate Fund, established in 2010, focuses on reducing the impacts of climate change worldwide.
According to an additional GCF press release, the $250 million fund has been approved not only for Pakistan but also for several developing countries in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus. The fund will focus on improving the livelihoods of vulnerable communities dependent on glaciers for drinking water, irrigation, and agriculture.
Led by the ADB, the “Glaciers to Farms” program covers nine developing member countries — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — all of which rely heavily on glacier-fed water sources.
The program will target four glacier-fed river basins: the Naryn and Pyandj in Central Asia, the Kura in the South Caucasus, and the Swat River in Pakistan, spanning around 27 million hectares.
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The GCF approved concessional funding for the program during its 43rd board meeting held on October 29. About 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable mountain populations, are expected to directly benefit.
The program will also strengthen climate and glacier assessments, improve national development plans, and enhance monitoring and early warning systems to help communities respond to glacier lake outburst floods and long dry spells.
The GCF noted that rapid glacier melt threatens ecosystems and livelihoods, posing serious challenges for the region where one in four jobs depends on agriculture.
Most of the GCF funding will be provided as grants, while the ADB plans to invest an additional $3.25 billion over the next decade in related projects identified by participating countries.
