
Pakistani PM stresses urgent climate action amid ongoing flood response
Chairing a meeting on the recent flood situation and relief efforts during his visit to the country's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, the prime minister directed the Ministry of Climate Change to adopt a more proactive approach and stressed the importance of mobilizing funds to build climate-resilient infrastructure across the country.
Sharif said that although Pakistan contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, it ranks among the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change.
He added that the country is facing the consequences of environmental shifts, underscoring the crucial responsibility of the climate ministry in mitigation and preparedness.
The prime minister called for the establishment of a weather-related early warning system for tourist destinations, and said local communities residing near natural watercourses should be relocated to safer locations.

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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Beijing evacuates 82,000 as heavy rains trigger flood risks
BEIJING: Chinese authorities evacuated over 82,000 people across Beijing at risk from heavy rainfall, state media said, after dozens of people died in flooding in the capital's suburbs last week. State news agency Xinhua said tens of thousands had been relocated from vulnerable areas as of 09:00 pm (1300 GMT) Monday, according to the city's flood control headquarters. Authorities warned of flooding risks in the northwestern suburb of Miyun -- the hardest hit by last week's deluge -- as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou. The municipal weather service also announced a red alert -- the highest in a four-tier system -- forecasting heavy rain from noon on Monday until Tuesday morning. Floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing last week, according to official figures. Some 31 fatalities occurred at an elderly care centre in Miyun -- prompting a local official to admit 'gaps' in disaster readiness. Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists that they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water inundated homes and devastated villages. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. - AFP

The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Beijing lifts rain alert after evacuating over 80,000
Beijing's northeastern suburb of Miyun was the hardest hit, with 31 fatalities at an elderly care centre. - Reuters BEIJING: Beijing lifted a severe weather alert on Tuesday (Aug 5) but warned residents to stay vigilant against natural disasters after authorities evacuated more than 82,000 people over fears of more deadly floods in the Chinese capital. The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning -- the highest in a four-tier system -- on Monday, forecasting heavy downpours until Tuesday morning. The office lifted the alert early Tuesday morning, saying in a social media statement the weather system had weakened as it drifted eastwards. But it continued to warn of isolated downpours across outlying parts of the city, adding that people "must not let up after strong rains have passed" as landslides or other disasters may follow. Authorities evacuated over 82,000 people at risk from heavy rainfall as of Monday evening, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the city's flood control headquarters. Officials warned of flooding risks in the northeastern suburb of Miyun -- the hardest hit by the recent deluge -- as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou. Last week, floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing, according to official figures. Some 31 fatalities occurred at an elderly care centre in Miyun -- prompting a local official to admit "gaps" in disaster readiness. "Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking. This tragic lesson has warned us that putting the people first, putting human life first, is more than a slogan," Yu Weiguo, Miyun's ruling Communist Party boss, said at the time. Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists that they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water had inundated homes and devastated villages. At a meeting on Monday, the municipal government stressed the need to "restore the normal order of life and production in post-disaster areas as quickly as possible". Urgent tasks included road repairs, electricity and water resumption and the refurbishment of schools, hospitals and elderly care homes, officials said, according to a statement on a city social media account. China's public security ministry has also warned people to be on guard against "rumours", including exaggerating the extent of natural disasters to create panic, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. China has been lashed by heavy rains in recent weeks, with heavy flooding in the north followed by intense precipiation along the southern coast. Parts of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill on Tuesday by flooding caused by heavy rains, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days. Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense. But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060. - AFP


The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Readying Beijing for more rain
Beijing warned residents in all city districts to brace for a new round of heavy rainfall, telling them to avoid going out, a week after catastrophic floods killed dozens in the deadliest deluge to hit the Chinese capital since 2012. Up to 200mm of rain could hit parts of Beijing over a six-hour period from midday, weather forecasters warned yesterday. The warning comes as authorities rush to reinforce ageing flood defences, fine-tune weather forecasts and update evacuation plans amid reports of bodies being pulled from raging flood waters across the country, including at least three at a flooded wellness camp in Hebei province. At least 44 people died in Beijing after heavy rains from July 23 to 29. Most of the dead were people unexpectedly trapped by rapidly rising waters at a nursing home in Miyun district on the city's northeastern outskirts. The fatalities led authorities to admit to shortcomings in their contingency plans for extreme weather. By noon yesterday, Beijing had placed all of its 16 districts on the highest level of preparedness, in the first citywide state of readiness since July 28, shutting parts of the Great Wall and other outdoor leisure venues and halting operations of below-ground businesses. The risk of flash floods and landslides is 'extremely high', authorities said. In the summer of 2012, 79 people died in Beijing in the city's deadliest flooding in living memory. Fangshan district was the worst-hit, with one resident reporting a rise in floodwaters of 1.3m in just 10 minutes. As of Saturday, torrential rains that swept through 'Beijing Valley', a riverside wellness retreat in the Hebei city of Chengde adjacent to Beijing, had claimed three lives, with four still missing, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Around 40 people had gathered on July 27 for an event at the site, where organisers directed them into tents pitched on low-lying land next to a river bend, Caixin Media reported. By 2am the next morning, floodwaters had risen to knee height, forcing attendees to scramble towards the camp's only exit. In China's southern Guangdong province over the weekend, the bodies of five people were recovered after a large-scale search operation involving more than 1,300 rescuers. The five people, who went missing on Friday night, were 'swept away by water' following heavy rainfall in recent days, Xinhua reported on Sunday. — Reuters