Launch of Pakistan Borrowed Earth Climate Fellows’ Reports @ Oxford University
On Monday 2nd December the Borrowed Earth Project launched the reports of Nouman Alam and Maria Samiwala, the two 2023/24 Borrowed Earth Young Research Fellows. The reports were launched at Oxford University, in collaboration with the Oxford Climate Society and attended by students and academics from Oxford and an expert audience from around the world! We are hugely grateful to everyone involved for a great launch!
Read the two reports below:
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Who are the grantees and what is this research about?
Nouman Alam’s report is entitled “Understanding Local Perceptions of Changing Flood Patterns: A Case Study in Lakki Marwat and Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”.
Nouman Alam speaking at the Schools 2030 Global Forum
Nouman is a resident of a flood prone area from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, investigates the impact of climate change on flood frequency and extreme events in the Lakki Marwat and Swat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. As climate patterns evolve, these regions grapple with heightened flood risks and disruptions to their agricultural, educational, and social systems.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region has witnessed a noticeable increase in extreme climatic events over the past two decades, affecting flood patterns, rainfall, and temperature. These shifts have had profound implications for local communities, including recurring crop losses, disrupted educational activities, and increased health risks.
This study utilizes a case study approach, employing qualitative methods. We conducted interviews with local farmers and teachers to capture their perceptions and knowledge of changing flood frequencies and adaptive strategies employed. Additionally, literature from relevant scientific research is integrated to offer a comprehensive overview of the issue and to see other findings regarding changes in flood frequency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Maria Samiwala’s report is entitled “The Case of Karachi’s Mismanaged Solid Waste – A Solution-Oriented Approach Informed by Community-Based Initiatives”.
Maria is an urban researcher from the most bristling city, Karachi Pakistan, investigates the myriad of challenges facing Karachi and its residents as they tackle its perennial waste management problem. The proposed methodology is a qualitative research analysis of Karachi’s poor waste management. It aims to use a solution-oriented approach, rather than an academic one, where the focus is extracting learnings from waste initiatives implemented at the community-level by private organizations and citizens.
This is done through a combination of primary research work, such as interviews with various stakeholders working in the SWM sector and field visits around the city, while secondary research is done through case study analysis of best practices in similar places. It looks at the landscape of Karachi, including the ecological disaster risk posed by its waste mismanagement and the social setting in which both formal and informal waste management operations take place.
The research identifies challenges using insights from the interviews that point to gaps in the sector, including problems with community awareness, clashes between the formal and informal sector, broken value chain system, bureaucratic hurdles, declining infrastructure, and nonexistent treatment of waste. It analyzes the best practices from India and from within Pakistan, including Tearfund’s Haryali Hub project in Karachi. Finally, the recommendations put forward take learnings from primary and secondary research to propose various policy interventions and incentives for the private-sector, as well as ways to create awareness, integrate the informal sector, and improve waste collection and treatment.
Maria Samiwala’s message on the launch of her report on Karachi’s waste.