MANSEHRA, June 22: Speakers at a forum have urged the government to construct more water reservoirs to minimise the effects of global warming and environmental challenges in future.

“The global warming and environmental change will affect most of those countries, which are dependent on agriculture and natural resources. If Pakistan wants to cope with the coming challenges and current energy crisis it should build more water reservoirs,” they said.

The open forum titled ‘Environment policy in Pakistan’ was organised jointly by Hazara University and Inter News in connection with three-day media workshop about reporting on environmental issue here on Wednesday.

Provincial Minister for Environment Wajid Ali Khan, chief analyst of Environment Protection Agency Shamsur Rehman, Prof Abdullah Khan, Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, Prof Syed Shaukat Ali, Aisha Khan and Rina Saeed Khan spoke on the occasion.

The minister said that although government wanted to address environmental issues, yet it needed cooperation of people inthis regard. He said that cutting of forests was causing melting of glaciers and increase in temperature.

Mr Khan said that government was ready to confer more powers on forest department. The officials of the department would be trained like policemen, he added.

He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was pioneer in formulating an environmental policy. The local courts had given verdicts in its favour in 400 cases related to environmental issues, he said.

The minister said that government gave due importance to reporting on issues related to environment. He also announced ‘green award’ for the top three journalists, who regularly filed stories on environment every year.

Other speakers said that role of media was important in creating awareness among masses about global warming and environmental changes.