As dawn breaks over the mountainous Pakistani village of Hasanabad, the quiet of the area is broken by the sound of thunder, and torrents pour from a nearby melting glacier, accompanied by a thick cloud.
Flooding in May as a result of heat waves sweeping South Asia destroyed nine houses in the village and damaged six others. Also demolished were two small hydroelectric power stations and a bridge connecting a remote village to other areas. There are more than seven thousand glaciers in Pakistan, which makes it the country containing these huge glaciers, with the exception of the North and South Poles.
Global warming associated with climate change is causing the rapid melting of glaciers, resulting in the formation of thousands of glacial lakes. The government has warned that 33 lakes that have formed in the Himalayan, Hindu Kush and Karakur mountain ranges are at risk of glacier explosion, and millions of cubic meters of water and debris will flow out within hours, similar to what happened in Hassanabad.
The Pakistani government has indicated that at least 16 such glacial floods have been reported this year due to heatwaves affecting the country, while the average is five to six floods annually. These floods cause damage from which the population cannot recover.
i can’t leave
Pakistan is ranked the eighth most vulnerable country to extreme weather events caused by climate change, according to the Climate Risk Index prepared by environmental NGO German Watch. Pakistan is increasingly experiencing heatwaves that are hotter than its predecessors, with temperatures hitting 50 degrees Celsius this year. The floods and droughts that have been recorded in recent years have displaced or killed thousands of people, as well as destroyed the livelihoods of the population and damaged the infrastructure of the area. The United Nations Development Program notes that the lack of information about changes in Pakistan’s glaciers makes it difficult to predict the resulting disasters.
Although the village of Khassanabad is equipped with an alarm system that includes cameras that monitor the flow of water in glacial lakes, the villagers believed they lived at an altitude that would protect them from natural disasters, according to local authorities. Mountain communities depend on livestock, farming and tourism for their livelihoods, but climate change threatens all of these resources.
“Our economy is based on agriculture and people cannot leave the village,” says Zahida Sher, researcher at a local development NGO. Seddikulla Beg, a disaster risk management expert in the northern region, told AFP that about seven million people are affected by similar disasters, but many of them do not realize the severity of the threat as they still build houses in areas classified as dangerous.
flash flood
North of Hassanabad lies the small village of Basu, which has lost 70% of its population and area to date after being flooded and naturally eroded by the river.
The village is located between the White Glacier in the south, the Batur Glacier in the north and the Hunze River in the east. These three natural elements were called “dragons” because of their destructive power. “Basu village is in the mouth of these three dragons,” said local researcher Ali Kurban Mogani.
As Mogani speaks, a group of workers are building a protective concrete wall on the banks of the river in an attempt to protect the village from the danger of the rushing water. Kamran Iqbal borrowed 500,000 rupees (about $2,400) from a local NGO to invest in creating a tourist destination. The beauty of the glaciers has made the area one of the top tourist destinations in Pakistan. Iqbal’s business flourished until a flash flood washed away his investment last year.
Pakistan, home to over 220 million people, claims to be responsible for less than 1% of the world’s greenhouse gases. However, this country is suffering greatly from the effects of climate change due to its dependence on agriculture and natural resources, which are affected by climate events. “There are no factories or businesses in the area that pollute the environment,” said Amanullah Khan, 60, who lives in Passo. “We have a clean environment, but we have been hit the hardest by climate change threats.” “
