The recent floods and landslides have created havoc in Pakistani occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. Conservative estimates put the death toll at 500, while more than half a million people have lost their dwellings, farmland, moveable assets, ancestral graveyards, and places of worship, to say nothing of their cultural activities and spiritual engagement.
Around 30,000 people are already affected by the glacial outbursts that created an artificial lake in Hunza in January and wiped out several villages. The government’s neglect of the victims only adds insult to injury.
While the rest of the world is taking environmental issues seriously, Pakistan, which is among the countries most affected by natural calamities, has yet again failed to find the means to curtail damage to the ecosystem.
The lack of seriousness can be judged from the fact that Pakistan sent a low-ranking envoy to attend the 2009 Copenhagen Environmental Summit, where more than a hundred nations were represented by their Heads of States.
Today, when the entire country is submerged in floodwaters, Pakistan’s president decided to attend his son’s graduation ceremony in England, rather than be a source of emotional support to his beleaguered nation.
On the other hand, countries under extreme environmental stress continue to raise awareness and seek global support through unique campaign methods. For example, Maldives, which might be submerged if the water level in the Indian Ocean continues to rise, held an under-the-ocean cabinet meeting to draw attention to the threat to their existence.
Nepal, threatened by increasing toxic waste polluting her glaciers, followed Maldives and held a cabinet meeting at the base camp of Mount Everest.
Gilgit-Baltistan, which is called ‘the water tank of South Asia’, faces similar environmental hazards. Gilgit-Baltistan has the highest concentration of tall mountains in the world, along with the longest glaciers.
Tourists pollute glaciers and rivers since they fail to receive proper guidance from Pakistani authorities. Among the most affected glaciers are Siachen, Baltoro, Passu, Concordia and Biafo. The mountains which been severely impacted are Chogori (K-2), Gasherbrums, Trango, Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi.
But tourists are not the major polluters. The arrival of thousands of illegal Pakistani settlers and soldiers, with their vehicles and ammunition, construction of large-scale military and strategic infrastructure, which necessitates the presence of tens of thousands of Pakistani and Chinese workers, equipment and petrochemical products, are among the leading pollutants.
Pakistani soldiers have been found using toy-bombs, grenades and dynamites to catch fish in the lakes and rivers of Gilgit-Baltistan. Military officials use gun-ship helicopters to hunt endangered wild animals and continue to plunder scarce local resources with impunity.
The infrastructural development which has happened in the last ten years has led to increase in humidity to alarming levels, which is evident in the form of glacial outbursts, rock shifts and tremors, and continued landslides.
Creation of artificial lake at Ataabad-Hunza is a glaring example in this regard. And these warnings are just the tip of the iceberg, as future generations will bear the aftermath of damage to the ecosystem for centuries to come.
Environmental experts blame excessive Pakistani intervention for the continued calamities in Gilgit-Baltistan. They say that the region is a high altitude desert and excessive humidity can cause continuous cloudbursts, leading to flashfloods.
The situation should have forced Pakistan to review actions and policies of exploitation. However, instead of slowing down, and caring about the wellbeing of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad has now signed agreements with China to construct rail tracks and oil and gas pipelines which will cut through the glaciers of Gilgit-Baltistan.
These changes, taking place at breakneck speed, are threatening indigenous civilizations. This is food for thought for the natives, who see Pakistan as their benefactor and have high hopes from it.
The bitter reality is that without the support of international community, the saga of sacrificing land and people of Gilgit-Baltistan for the ‘greater interests of Pakistan’ will continue.
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Worst Floods in Pakistan's History
Large Scale Deforestation Triggers Frequent Landslides in PoK
