(Above) Chief Architect of Surbana Jurong Infrastructure, Mr Kim Toh, delivering his keynote address at the Ravi Urban Development Authority Seminar entitled “Building Cities, Shaping Lives” organised by the Institution of Engineers in Pakistan.
The recent floods that devastated Pakistan and affected 33 million people were due to an unusually strong monsoon and melting glaciers. Rising temperatures have been blamed for both phenomena as Pakistan received nearly 187 per cent more rain than the national average during the summer months.
It was therefore timely that the Institution of Engineers in Pakistan organised a seminar focusing on the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project located next to Lahore, the world’s largest waterfront city spanning 46 km.
Mr Kim Toh, Chief Architect of Surbana Jurong Infrastructure in Pakistan was the keynote speaker for this seminar. He shared the importance of investing in resilient infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate change and proposed exploring investing in resilient infrastructure which has the potential to deliver superior economic value for Pakistan. Kim addressed the pollution affecting Ravi River, explaining how pollution in the Singapore River in the 1960s was addressed as it was transformed to become the largest catchment reservoir in Singapore. He also shared how Marina Barrage controls flooding. Kim then proposed a number of solutions Pakistan could explore to improve its built environment.
Pakistan is a developing country that only emits less than one per cent of the global Green House Gases (GHGs) yet is ranked the fifth most vulnerable country to Climate Change in the Global Climate Risk Index.
The seminar was attended by engineers, policymakers and dignitaries such as the Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, Government of Punjab and the CEO of Ravi Urban Development Authority.
Project Contact:
Kim Toh | Chief Architect
SJ Infrastructure Pte Ltd Pakistan
T: +92 325 7688882
E: [email protected], [email protected]
