Climate resilience in Sindh: Symposium highlights use of satellite tech

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national space agency, SUPARCO, on Tuesday called for greater use of satellite-based data in climate planning and disaster management as experts warned of mounting environmental risks, including heatwaves, floods, drought, water stress and coastal degradation. The call came at a regional symposium on “Space4Climate” organised by SUPARCO’s Space Applications Center for Climate Sciences (SACCS) in Karachi, which assembled government officials, scientists, researchers, academics and environmental experts. Sindh Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development Faisal Ahmed Uqaili, speaking as keynote speaker, stressed the need to integrate geospatial technologies and scientific data into climate governance and disaster risk reduction. Uqaili also highlighted provincial initiatives relating to carbon monitoring, carbon financing and nationally determined contributions (NDCs), as well as 13 projects aimed at addressing climate change. SUPARCO Member of Space Application and Research Wing, Zafar Iqbal, who was the chief guest, said Pakistan was facing increasingly severe climate-related pressures, ranging from glacier melt and flooding to drought, heatwaves, air pollution and growing stress on agriculture and water resources. He said satellite imagery, remote sensing, geospatial analysis and geographic information systems had become important tools for monitoring environmental changes and supporting climate adaptation. The symposium also featured a presentation and live demonstration of SUPARCO’s Space4Climate geospatial portals, which draw on data from Pakistan’s satellite assets, including PRSS-1, SAR-1 and the EO series, as well as hyperspectral capabilities. The platforms are designed to provide information on indicators including greenhouse gases, air quality, glaciers, snow cover, waterways, land cover and coastal ecosystems to support decision-making by government institutions. Technical sessions focused on waterways and land-cover changes, crop monitoring, air quality, environmental assessment and heatwave hazards, with participants discussing applications in agriculture, water management, urban planning, disaster preparedness and environmental protection. A panel discussion on integrating space-based information into provincial planning called for better coordination among government agencies, wider access to geospatial data and greater use of satellite-derived climate services in development planning and disaster preparedness. The participants recommended that government departments adopt Space4Climate services, while strengthening cooperation between scientific institutions and government agencies, and expanding training in geospatial technologies. The Karachi event was the fourth in SUPARCO’s seven-city symposium series aimed at raising awareness of climate change and promoting the use of space technology for climate resilience. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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