He was addressing the closing ceremony of Wetlands Day celebrations, organised by Ministry of Environment’s Pakistan Wetlands Programme on Saturday.

Afridi said the environmental issues were making difficult to achieve the goal of healthier and happier lifestyles. He said though climate change affected all aspects of life and ecosystems, but its impact on wetlands was more pronounced.

The minister said unexpected hot and dry summers and drastic decrease in rainfall had increased floods and cyclones in Makran coastal areas during the past few years. He said the impact of climate change on wetlands was visible in the form of enhanced frequency and intensity of hurricanes and coastal storms, out of season rains and floods, drought and acute shortage of water and glacial melt.

Afridi said Pakistan had about 225 significant wetlands across different eco-regions of the country. Afridi said wetlands served many purposes. On the one hand they are purifiers or natural buffers to water pollution and on the other, they serve as remedies to climate change impacts by providing protection against floods, he said.

As responsible citizens we have to make individual actions and collaborative efforts to curtail the negative impacts of climate change, he emphasised. He said there was a need to educate people and raise their awareness about this evolving phenomenon and help people adopt eco-friendly lifestyles to protect the country’s precious natural resources.

Syllabus: The minister also informed the participants of the function that from April 2010, environmental education was being introduced in the syllabus up to intermediate level.

The minister said they were celebrating this event to inform people about the value of extremely vital eco-systems and to acknowledge the need to conserve them through global actions according to the principles set by the Ramsar Convention.

Bahria College Rector Admiral Mohammad Haroon also addressed the participants.

Earlier, the minister visited different stalls arranged by different schools on this occasion. He appreciated the tableaus performed by the students to highlight the importance of wetlands.

It is important to mention that this nation-wide event features a range of activities with a special focus on raising-awareness of wetlands, particularly their significance to lessen the impact of the severe weather conditions.