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Gallery|Climate Crisis

Photos: Concerns as Pakistan glaciers melt

The South Asian country is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, but rising global temperatures are causing them to melt rapidly.

This aerial picture taken on June 10, 2022, shows Passu glacier near Passu village in Pakistan
Passu glacier near Passu village in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
Published On 14 Jul 202214 Jul 2022
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As dawn breaks over Javed Rahi’s mountain village, a loud boom shatters the silence and a torrent of water comes cascading down from the melting glacier nearby, followed by a thick cloud of smoke.

Rahi, a retired maths teacher, had been due to attend his nephew’s wedding the day the flood rushed through the village of Hassanabad in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.

“I expected women and children to sing and dance … Instead, I heard them screaming in terror,” the 67-year-old said. “It was like doomsday.”

The flood, which occurred as a heatwave gripped South Asia in May, swept away nine homes in the village and damaged half a dozen more.

The water also washed away two small hydro plants and a bridge that connected the remote community to the outside world.

Pakistan is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere else on Earth outside the poles.

But rising global temperatures linked to climate change are causing the glaciers to rapidly melt, creating thousands of glacial lakes.

The government has warned that 33 of these lakes, all located in the spectacular Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountain ranges that intersect in Pakistan, are at risk of bursting and releasing millions of cubic metres of water and debris in just a few hours, like in Hassanabad.

At least 16 such glacial lake outburst floods linked to heatwaves have occurred this year already, compared with an average of five or six per year, the Pakistani government said earlier this week.

The devastation caused by such floods makes recovery for affected communities an arduous task.

After disaster struck Hassanabad, Rahi and fellow villagers who lost their homes had to move to a nearby camp for displaced people.

Inside their makeshift tents are the few belongings they managed to salvage and mattresses to sleep on.

“We never thought we would fall from riches to rags,” Rahi said.

Pakistan is the world’s eighth most vulnerable country to extreme weather caused by climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index compiled by the environmental NGO, Germanwatch.

The country is experiencing earlier, hotter and more frequent heatwaves, with temperatures already hitting 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) this year.

Floods and droughts in recent years have killed and displaced thousands of people, destroyed livelihoods and damaged infrastructure.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, a lack of information on glacial changes in Pakistan makes it difficult to predict hazards originating from them.

Home to more than 220 million people, Pakistan says it is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Yet it remains highly vulnerable to climate change effects, dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture and natural resources.

In this aerial picture taken on June 10, 2022, engineers and construction workers built a concrete wall to protect Passu village from land erosion
Engineers and construction workers built a concrete wall to protect Passu village from land erosion. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
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In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, a vehicle drives past a partially collapsed section of the Karakoram Highway damaged after a lake outburst because of a melting glacier, near Hassanabad village
A vehicle drives past a partially collapsed section of the Karakoram highway, damaged after a lake burst its banks after a glacier melted, near Hassanabad village. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, a resident clears debris from a damaged house after a lake outburst because of a melting glacier in Hassanabad village
A resident clears debris from a damaged house after a lake burst after a glacier melted in Hassanabad village. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, a general view shows damaged houses after they were swept away by a lake outburst because of a melting glacier, in Hassanabad village
Houses were damaged and swept away by the lake after the glacier melted, in Hassanabad. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, construction workers build a temporary bridge after a lake outburst because of a melting glacier swept away the main bridge in Hassanabad village
Construction workers build a temporary bridge after the main bridge in Hassanabad was swept away. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, a local resident washes dishes outside tents setup after their homes were swept by a lake outburst because of a melting glacier in Hassanabad
A resident washes dishes outside tents set up after their homes were swept away in Hassanabad. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]
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In this picture taken on June 9, 2022, local residents pick cherries from a tree beside tents setup after their homes were swept by a lake outburst because of a melting glacier, in Hassanabad village
Residents pick cherries from a tree beside tents set up after their homes were swept away in Hassanabad village. [Abdul Majeed/AFP]


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