Environment

A journey of Hope – Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) in Pakistan

Published

5 years ago

October 7, 2019

In millions of years of mankind’s history on planet earth, the human habitat has never been such vulnerable as it is today. With the changing climatic conditions, natural disasters continue to worsen the quality of life of millions of people globally especially in the underdeveloped and developing countries that in many cases has the least to do with the cause of climate change.

The world war II’s industrial revolution brought prosperity particularly to the industrial world and the rest in general however soon mankind started realizing that the model of growth chosen for this prosperity had major flaws in it and was causing damages to the very existence of the planet itself by causing global warming. Today the world has become a more unsafe place not only for human beings alone but all kinds of living species and their habitats.

Pakistan is amongst the top 10 countries that receive the worst impacts of climate change whereas its contribution to the Green House Gas Emissions is less than one percent of the total global emissions. Heavy rain, increasing glacial melt, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and avalanches are becoming a permanent phenomenon. Over a decade almost every year, Pakistan has faced medium to large scale flood situations. 2010 and 2015 being the worst years when millions of people became homeless. Billions worth of properties were lost worsening the already fragile economy of the country and increasing poverty.

This situation is forcing people to migrate from areas where they lived for generations. Climate refugees are increasing, people moving from rural areas to urban centers ending up living in slums, escaping one hazard and entering another.

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) has the mandate to help communities create a safe and resilient human habitat with improved services where communities could see a future for themselves. AKAH has a major focus on programs related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Under adaptation, Habitat planning is a key activity where the agency, through hazard risk vulnerability assessments (HVRAs), identifies safe locations in its program areas as living zones. So far it has assessed about 800 settlements in Pakistan, majority in the mountain areas of Northern Pakistan, and has identified areas that are exposed to single or multiple natural hazards and areas that are safer from natural disasters.

AKAH through its community-based disaster management programs, using these maps, educates communities to build in safer areas and uses at-risk areas for community forestry or agriculture purposes that in some cases will work as a mitigation measure. It has identified several settlements where a major part of the settlement and population are exposed to high risk and there is hardly any safe space available. AKAH is working with the communities on options for relocation of these communities to safer areas with future growth opportunities.

As a first case, 50 such communities have been identified from the mountain communities of Northern Pakistan. AKAH intends to work with the local governments, civil society and communities to invest in services infrastructure in the safer zones creating areas of opportunities for the at-risk population. Areas that are exposed to low and medium risk AKAH build mitigation infrastructure mainly against floods, debris flow, and river erosion.

AKAH is working currently on a test project to reduce the risk of a snow avalanche. Over the past three years, it worked with about 100 communities to build mitigation infrastructure and make settlements safer. AKAH also works with hundreds of communities throughout Pakistan to build their coping capacities in disaster situations by awareness-raising, development of community emergency response teams (CERT), the establishment of stockpiles, training of search and rescue teams (SART), community based and mechanized early warning systems and establishing fail-safe communications with isolated communities.

The CERTs are the first responders in any disaster situations and have responded to hundreds of emergency situations saving thousands of lives. In 2017 in an event of floods in the Ishkoman valley triggered by a GLOF event from Badswat glacier upon early warning the CERTS evacuated 200 houses and within 12 hours the flood-hit over 40 houses, but no life was lost. There are dozens of such stories where the CERTS saved lives.

AKAH under its school safety program has worked with over 1000 schools throughout the country and has educated hundreds of teachers and thousands of students on the approaches of disaster risk reduction.

The mountain communities of Northern Pakistan are highly dependent on the natural forest which is only 9% of the total land area. Studies show that 95% of households in Gilgit-Baltistan use timber as main material for housing constructions. On average six to eight matured trees are used for each new house and approximately over 3,000 new housing units are built each year. Similarly, 86% of households use biomass as fuel for heating and cooking. This situation is causing a great pressure on the already scarce forest resources.

AKAH under its Building and Construction Improvement Program, through action research, developed over 60 different housing improvement solutions around thermal efficiency and improved cookstoves that reduce the fuelwood consumption by up to 60%. It also introduced innovative solutions for the reinforcement of walls reducing the use of timber. Over 100,000 BACIP products have been installed in over 40,000 houses benefitting slightly less than half a million people of the mountain communities. In the last two years over 1000 homes were provided access to solar products for lighting purposes.

The efficient management of water resources is a key international issue of climate change. AKAH through its Water and Sanitation Extension Program (WASEP) successfully demonstrated a community-based water management system for the mountain communities. Through its six components program (infrastructure, operation and maintenance, community endowment, health and hygiene, and water quality system) it provides a package solution to the community for the provision of clean drinking water around the year. So far WASEP has reached 600 communities benefiting over half a million people by providing WHO standard clean drinking water. The schemes are owned, operated and maintained by the communities.

Climate-resilient construction is a key consideration under AKAH’s building construction program. AKAH adopts climate-friendly designs for the development of AKDN’s construction projects. The recently completed Bamyan Hospital in Afghanistan covers 60% of its total energy requirement from solar power. AKAH has so far constructed over 1.3M sft of buildings where climate-friendly and seismic-resistant design principles have been adopted.

AKAH won several international awards including the Ashden Award, UN Habitat Award, Aluminum Canada award and the British Social Housing Foundation Award. AKAH has, directly and indirectly, benefit millions of people through its programs and approaches which are being replicated at the regional level in similar geographies.

Commenting on the success of AKAH the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nawab Ali Khan said

“The successes of AKAH are a result of its community-centric approach and the strong partnerships with the government, donors and other national and international partners. AKAH believes that through partnerships and synergies with government and other partners, the community being at the center, a better habitat can be created where life is safe, and communities see a future for themselves. Our partnerships bring hope and we see a spark in the eyes of people.”

GBee Staff

GBee Staff keeps you updated with the latest happenings in Gilgit, Baltistan and Chitral regions of Pakistan.

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Climate

AKAH and NUST Collaborate on Habitat Planning for Disaster-Prone Valleys in Pakistan

Published

3 years ago

September 6, 2021

GBee Staff

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Sustainability, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan, to develop sustainable habitat plans for disaster-prone valleys in Northern Pakistan.

Through this partnership, AKAH will collaborate with NUST to develop habitat plans for five valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral that are vulnerable to climate change-induced disasters. The partners will conduct socio-economic, cultural, and environmental assessments and research to develop innovative contextual spatial plans with rigorous stakeholder participation.

The habitats plans will provide a road map for all development partners and stakeholders to optimize resources and help build safe and resilient habitat where individuals, families, and communities can thrive.

AKAH’s team of technical experts and community members are conducting a Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (HVRA) in Zulfiqarabad, Jutial, Gilgit. HVRA is the critical first step in AKAH’s approach to disaster risk reduction and habitat planning, helping communities understand existing risks and plan for safe and sustainable new development.

In his remarks Dr. Rizwan Riaz, Pro-Rector RIC NUST shared that “embedding core principles of sustainability is one of the strategic aims of NUST. We aim to align all of NUST’s core functions i.e. Academics and Students’ engagement, Research and Innovation, Operations and Governance, and Stakeholders Management with the UN SDGs thereby transforming NUST into an SDG-engaged, 4^th generation university in Pakistan”.

Representatives of AKAH, P, and NUST at the MoU signing ceremony held on 03 Sep 2021.

Addressing the ceremony, Nawab Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer, AKAH, Pakistan, shared that “In the last few years, Pakistan has faced the worst impact of climate-induced disasters of its history. Precious lives have been lost, millions of people have become homeless, and the country has suffered major economic losses. One of the accentuating causes is that people build on unsafe locations.

AKAH believes that this major loss and human suffering can be significantly reduced by building in locations that are safer and that provide future growth opportunities. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the development of existing and future settlements is based on proper planning, that incorporates scientific and indigenous knowledge. The partnership agreement between NUST and AKAH will bring together the scientific and field-based knowledge, to develop context-specific and research-driven solutions in order to create resilient communities in Pakistan”.

AKAH and NUST sign MoU at the Office of Sustainability to develop sustainable habitat plans for disaster-prone valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan.

For last the two decades, AKAH has been working in coastal and mountainous areas of Pakistan, to build safe and resilient communities, providing access to WASH facilities, and offering services to build disaster and climate-resilient structures. Going forward, AKAH aims to design its interventions around habitat planning with a greater focus on safe structures, green building, and initiatives to reduce carbon emission to contribute to Pakistan’s broader sustainable development and climate action goals.

Additional Information:

About the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH): AKAH works to ensure that the places people live are as safe as possible from the effects of climate change and natural disasters while also helping them to be prepared to cope with and respond to disasters that do strike. Beyond safety, AKAH aims to ensure people have access to services and opportunities to improve their quality of life. Established in 2016, AKAH combines several agencies and programs of the AKDN that had been working on housing, habitat, and disaster preparedness and relief since the 1990s in South and Central Asia, including Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Disaster Risk Management Initiative.

About National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST): NUST has established the “Office of Sustainability” as per international practices, to pledge the organization’s commitment to sustainability and establish an institutional platform for effective collaboration with national, regional, and international stakeholders on sustainability initiatives. The mandate of the Office of Sustainability is to adopt the UN SDGs framework to align core functions of NUST with the global agenda 2030. The office outreaches to establish cross-sectoral national and international partnerships to develop indigenous solutions, through interdisciplinary research and innovation, to address the impending challenges faced in achieving the SDGs, to test and co-create innovative technologies developed in-house, and to ensure the socio-economic impact of the research and innovation outcomes.

For more information, contact.

Mehar Aftab Salma

Communication Coordinator

mehar.aftab@akdn.org

Climate

Celebrating World Environment Day with a global conversation on Ecosystem Restoration for Quality of Life

Published

3 years ago

June 9, 2021

GBee Staff

Celebrating World Environment Day with a global conversation on Ecosystem Restoration for Quality of Life

AKAH has joined hands with the Govt. of Pakistan to develop water infrastructure for 50 billion trees to be planted in Gilgit-Baltistan

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, the Ministry of Climate Change, Pakistan, World Habitat Awards, and the United Nations Habitat Programme, co-organized an international virtual seminar on Ecosystem Restoration for Quality of Life. The seminar was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Climate Change, the United Nations, INGOs, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies and partners, donor agencies, academia, media, and community organizations. The virtual seminar, held on 8 June 2021, was part of a series of official events celebrating World Environment Day (WED).

Recognizing Pakistan’s global leadership in advancing ecosystem conservation and protection, it was selected to host this year’s WED together with the United Nations Environment Programme. This year’s WED theme was restoring the earth’s damaged ecosystems to go from exploiting nature to healing it. WED also launched the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world, for the benefit of people and nature.

Representatives of MoCC , International organizations and AKDN agencies, participating in the seminar.

In his message, Special Assistant to the Prime Minster on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, shared that “Although our contribution to global GHG emissions is less than 1%, Pakistan’s people, biodiversity and economy are severely impacted by climate change, with more frequent disasters. We are working to counteract these trends through ambitious initiatives such as the honorable Prime Minister’s Clean Green Pakistan Programme and the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme to restore the ecosystem and electric vehicle policy.

The government is also working on developing the first-ever green building codes for the country. I am glad to see development institutions like the Aga Khan Development Network and UN-Habitat contributing to these efforts for a greener Pakistan”.

During the seminar, speakers from UN-Habitat, Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, and Aga Khan Agency for Habitat shared their experiences in ecosystem restoration and improving quality of life for communities living in mountainous areas to coastal belts and urban centres of Pakistan and globally.

AKAH,has provided climate vulnerable communities with energy efficient solutions to address their issues of heating & health

In his opening remarks, Rafael Tuts, Director Programme Division, UN-Habitat, said that “We have been exploiting and destroying our planet’s ecosystems, and the pandemic has also shown how disastrous the consequences of ecosystem loss can be. We urgently need to reverse our unsustainable lifestyles and how we design, plan and manage cities.

UN-Habitat in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change carried out a study on “Policy Guidelines for Development of Green Building Code”, based on which ‘Green Building Guidelines were developed for the Prime Minister 5 Million Naya Pakistan Housing Programme’. The adoption of Green building guidelines will ensure GHG emission reduction, resource efficiency in the consumption of building materials, water and energy use and will result in greening the building construction in Pakistan”.

Mountain ecosystems are particularly rich in terms of biodiversity, culture, and critical natural resources such as water. Onno Ruhl, General Manager of the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, explained, “mountains and mountain communities are on the frontlines of climate change, facing the threat of melting glaciers, unpredictable weather, and flash floods.

AKAH is working to restore these fragile ecosystems and build resilient habitats for these communities to thrive. We combine data, community engagement, and world-class planning to help communities understand and adapt to the risks they face to plan for a better future.

AKAH, P, is helping authorities and communities by assessing, monitoring glaciers, flood and landslide through use of EWS & technology

To prevent further degradation and rebuild natural capital AKAH promotes nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction and sustainable infrastructure and service delivery.”

David Ireland, Chief Executive of World Habitat, said: “What makes AKAH’s work exceptional is that it’s not just responding to the effects of the climate emergency but is being proactive in protecting people from its effects – through using technology and the knowledge of the communities themselves. It provides communities with the knowledge of where and how to live in safety in a changing world. This has to be the best way for communities vulnerable to disasters and the effects of climate change to protect themselves. The potential for this approach to be adapted and used in similar areas in Pakistan and elsewhere is absolutely huge.”

Environmental stewardship has long been a core strategic priority for the AKDN cutting across the work of all its agencies across Asia and Africa. Hafiz Sherali, President, Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, explained that “In many of the areas where AKDN works, climate change compounds the risk of natural disasters resulting in the loss of lives and livelihoods. The AKDN is committed to protecting and restoring ecosystems while improving the quality of lives of the millions of people we serve. We take a holistic approach to mitigate disaster risk and proactively protect the environment.”

AKAH, P, helps communities through development of structural mitigation to mitigate disaster risk and its impacts in GBC

Nawab Ali Khan, CEO, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan added, “AKAH is honored to celebrate World Environment Day with the government of Pakistan, vulnerable communities, and our national and international partners. Decades of experience have guided us that only by working together can we hope to overcome the environmental challenges we face in Pakistan and globally.” He further added, “We are proud to partner with the government on its ambitious efforts to plant 50 million trees in Gilgit-Baltistan, build sustainable water and sanitation systems and develop nationwide green building guidelines.”

By sharing practical examples, celebrating successes, and calling attention to the challenges, the seminar aimed to initiate a dialogue to put the world on track for a sustainable future.

For more details:
Mehar Aftab Salma
Communication Coordinator
Aga Khan Agency for Habitat
Islamabad
Email: mehar.aftab@akdn.org

Notes:

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat works to ensure that the places people live are as safe as possible from the effects of climate change and natural disasters while also helping them to be prepared to cope with and respond to disasters that do strike. Beyond safety, AKAH aims to ensure people have access to services and opportunities to improve their quality of life. Established in 2016, AKAH combines several agencies and programs of the AKDN that had been working on housing, habitat, and disaster preparedness and relief since the 1990s in South and Central Asia, including Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Disaster Risk Management Initiative.

https://www.akdn.org/where-we-work/south-asia/pakistan/habitat-pakistan

UN-Habitat The UN-Habitat’s vision of “a better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world” is bold and ambitious. UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty. UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action. UN-Habitat’s new strategic plan 2020-2023 adopts a more strategic and integrated approach to solving the challenges and opportunities of twenty-first century cities and other human settlements. Our mission embodies the four main roles of the organization, which can be summarized as: think, do, share and partner.

https://unhabitat.org/

The World Habitat Awards is an international charity dedicated to finding, supporting, sharing and celebrating projects related to housing that can have an “overwhelmingly positive impact on individuals, families and communities”. It posits that housing is a basic right. Its World Habitat Awards – organised in partnership with UN-Habitat – “recognise and highlight innovative, outstanding and sometimes revolutionary housing ideas, projects and programmes from across the world”. For more information, please see: https://world-habitat.org/