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dpa
Islamabad
Pakistani authorities have sought help from neighbouring Iran to put out a forest fire that has devastated hundreds of hectares of pine trees in south-western province as the country reels under a severe heatwave.
“We hope to put out the fire today with the help of Iranian firefighting aircraft and military helicopters,” Farah Azeem Shah, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, told dpa on Monday.
Shah said that at least three people were killed and another four were wounded during the firefighting efforts.
The actual cause of the fire is not yet known, but severe heat is seen as the trigger behind the fire that started last week in Koh-i-Sulaiman range, home to one of the world’s largest pine forests.
Similar incidents were also reported in the Margalla Hills next to the capital Islamabad.
“Climate change has hit Pakistan with its full ferocity,” Malik Amin Aslam, the former minister for climate change, told dpa.
He said that the lengthy heatwave in the country has caused forest fires, drought and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).
“The heatwave has wiped out spring season this year,” Aslam said.
He said cutting greenhouse gases and planting trees were the only way forward to deal with climate change.
Pakistan has 5.2 % forest cover, one of the lowest in the world. The country is responsible for less than 1% of global carbon emissions.
, but is among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations.
Amid the brutal heatwave, Balochistan is also faced with a cholera outbreak and a shortage of potable water.
At least seven people have been killed and more than 2,000 people infected in the Dera Bugti district of Balochistan.
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24/05/2022
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