KARACHI: Recent historical floods spreading all over country were not only result of glaciers melting in northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions but pitiless tree cutting in hilly areas by PTI regime caused these heavy floods.

There were unprecedented simultaneous rains all over country right from Karachi up to northern areas of highest region. Those torrential rains water was unstoppable on mountain slopes due to pitiless cutting of trees in those hilly areas in previous regime.

According to analysts, that’s why River Swat was flooded with heavy piles of timber already stocked on mountains, floating with pressure of rain. These woods were attempted to capture by residents of area while dozens of them lost precious lives in effort to get hold of that precious wood for their future earnings.

Rising temperatures also affected glaciers in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions that started melting rapidly, adding to already formed 33 ice-dammed vulnerable lakes, creating more than 3,000 lakes. Around 33 are considered at risk of bursting, putting some 7.1 million people at risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF).

 These sudden events can unleash millions of cubic meters of water and debris, leading to loss of lives, property, livestock and livelihoods of remote mountain communities. With more than 7,253 known glaciers, Pakistan contains more glacial ice than any other country on earth outside Polar Regions.

Almost all of them are located in northern regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At 63 kilometers (39 miles) in length, Baltoro Glacier is one of longest non-polar glaciers in world. It’s located in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, home to some of world’s highest mountains.

Glacier runs through part of region’s Karakoram Mountain range, near a mountain known as K2, highest mountain in region at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). Three other nearby mountains within 20 kilometers all top 8,000 meters as well.  Climate change in Pakistan is a major issue for country.

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change. As with changing climate in South Asia as a whole, climate of Pakistan has changed over past several decades, with significant impacts on environment and people.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 20 2022

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