BY DR AMJAD AYUB MIRZA
The months of June and July have proved to be a testimony to the adverse effects of climate change in both Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (PoJK, PoGB).
Monsoon rains have resulted in extreme flooding of river Neelum in PoJK and river Indus and its tributary the river Gilgit in PoGB.
On July 26 heavy rains caused a massive landslide in Jhanda Garaan Paeen village in Muzafarabad district in PoJK. Scores of houses were destroyed resulting in homelessness.
Likewise, in Doodh-nihal, in Neelum district explosive matter hidden in logs was discovered as they were swept away due to floods in river Neelum.
This incident exposes the danger the populations’ face that live near the Line of Control where half a dozen terrorist training camps of jihadi infiltrators are situated.
On the same day the house of a Kashmiri refugee family living in Muzafarabad was buried under a mudslide in which he lost all his savings and belongings. Several roads and bridges have been destroyed due to overflow of riverbanks and by the stones that the waves of the river water carry and they strike against the concrete of the bridges.
Flash flooding of river Neelum has caused landslides that punctuate the roads at several places with landslides.
On July 22 two young children were drowned in the floodwaters. Scores of houses on the riverbanks have been swept away leaving poor villagers to spend the days and nights under open sky. In Chakoti 50 houses were seriously damaged as nullah Qazi Nag became ferocious when lighting struck its stream.
In PoJK roadblocks cause by mud and landslides have blocked roads in at least five districts. The situation is no different in PoGB where a family of four were killed after being buried alive in a landslide near Skardu.
Karakorum highway is periodically blocked during the monsoon season, and this time around landslides have made all traffic come to a standstill at eight spots. Similarly, Babu Sar road remains blocked at four points due to heavy land sliding.
The flood in PoGB has caused landslide in Gojal at Mokhun shutting down the Pakistan-China land transit route. The nightmare due to global warming seems to be a never-ending ordeal for those who live in the path of destruction caused by climate change.
PoGB is home to some of the world’s highest peaks and at least 250 glaciers. These glaciers are melting and receding due to the effects of greenhouse gasses. The Himalaya-HinduKush- Karakoram glaciers, also known as the Third Pole, are also melting causing hybrid glacier lakes unexpectedly bursting resulting in flash floods.
The glacier melted snow water that use to irrigate agricultural lands in PoGB is now responsible for the destruction of standing crops.
Unprecedented snow fall last fall in PoGB has not only badly effected tourism but more importantly had cut villages and small towns from the rest of the world causing critical shortages of food and daily essentials.
The same is the situation during the summer but for different reasons. If during winter road connectivity is disrupted due to heavy snowfall, in summer road connectivity is affected due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall flash floods and deforestation.
Loss of trees and vegetation is the main cause for soil erosion and therefore loss of fertile soil. This has a negative impact of the already unstable agriculture in the region. Add to this scenario the trend in global warming and you have a situation where the yield of crops is gradually become lesser year-on-year.
PoJK, located in the hills of Jamgarh peak in the Himalayas is right on the Indian Australian tectonic plates that make this region vulnerable to earth quakes.
In 2005 a strong earthquake in Muzafarabad killed close to 80,000 people. Floods in PoJK have become a common geological feature in recent years. The main stream from Salkhala merges into Neelum valley and is the main cause of flash floods. In year 2021 a cloud burst killed more than 30 people in the Neelum valley alone.
Flash floods combined with rising temperatures, lack of power and electricity, unemployment and poverty have made thousands migrate to alien lands. The effects of climate change are having an impact on the lives of humans, animals and nature alike. Scores of endangered species such as Ibex, Astore Markhor, Blue Sheep, Marcopolo and the famous snow leopard are near extinct.
The industrial world is the biggest contributor of Green hose gasses. However, it is the weak and the meek who are paying the price.
The key goals set by COP-27 in Sharmal Sheikh in Egypt last year were regarding mitigation, adaptation, continuation of financial compensation $100 billion to developing countries between 2020 and 2025.
None of the above is in our peoples’ control. PoJK and PoGB have no industry that would contribute to the emissions of green house gasses like heavily industrialised countries.
Our people are trying to adapt to the ever-changing way of life being thrust upon them by the effects of global warming for which they stand not guilty.
And we see no financial compensation come our way as our people sit under the open skies during sub-zero temperatures in winter and unbearable above 40 degree Celsius heat during the summer.
Hundreds of families are still residing in tents in Rondhu and houses made of tin in Muzafarabad. In December, this year, when leaders of the world gather in Dubai at the COP-28 meet to discuss methods, remedies and strategies to counter global warming one could only hope that they will remember those who have paid the price for the negligence of the major industrial nations regarding meeting the targets of mitigation, adaptation and financial compensation that the people of PoJK and PoGB so urgently deserve.
Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza is an author and a human rights activist from Mirpur in PoJK. He currently lives in exile in the UK.