Senate panel questions climate budget cuts as PSDP allocation falls to Rs2.48 billion

The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday questioned continued cuts in climate allocations, warning that Pakistan was entering a period of increased climate vulnerability.

Chairing a meeting of the committee, Rehman said the country was facing intensifying heatwaves, faster glacier melt, erratic rainfall, worsening water insecurity and growing environmental stress in urban centres.

She expressed concern over the Public Sector Development Programme allocation for the climate ministry, which has been set at Rs2.478 billion for 2026-27.

The allocation had earlier declined from Rs3.5 billion to Rs2.7 billion in the previous fiscal year.

“Climate risks are increasing, not decreasing. Yet allocations continue to shrink while implementation challenges persist,” Rehman said.

She also noted that the ministry had faced difficulties in fully utilising previously allocated funds.

The committee chairperson questioned the purpose of the Climate Change Authority, saying climate governance needed stronger coordination instead of additional bureaucratic structures.

“What is the function of this authority, and what is it doing that the climate ministry cannot achieve?” she asked.

Rehman described the authority as another state-owned entity without clearly defined objectives.

Referring to government figures, she said losses incurred by state-owned entities stood at Rs832.8 billion in financial year 2025, while cumulative losses had reached Rs6.56 trillion.

She added that Rs451 billion had again been allocated to state-owned entities in the current budget.

The committee also reviewed Pakistan’s preparedness for the upcoming monsoon season and received briefings from the National Disaster Management Authority and the Capital Development Authority.

NDMA Chairman Inam Haider Malik told lawmakers that the 2026-27 period was expected to be influenced by El Niño conditions.

He said this could increase the likelihood of extreme weather events and greater climate variability across the region.