Tragic Climate Warnings

The seasons in Pakistan are undergoing extraordinary changes due to global climate
change. While rainfall patterns are affected, temperatures are also rising but what needs to
be done to understand and adapt to these climate changes is nowhere to be seen, nor is any
effective strategy being worked on. Due to such circumstances, the pressure to mitigate
climate change challenges and the resulting damages are escalating every year. It is a result
of the rise in global temperatures that the melting of glaciers has accelerated. Glaciers
melting form lakes, and when these lakes burst, they cause large-scale floods. Floods
caused by the bursting of glacial lakes are now becoming a regular occurrence in the
northern regions (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan & Kashmir), which are causing
severe damage to infrastructure, property and livelihoods. Instead, the government and
related institutions are only neglecting the challenges.
Whatever Pakistan is facing in the wake of changing weather conditions is not happening
for the first time, but in recent years, such incidents have outraged two to three times
compared to the past. Similarly, the incidence of cloudbursts and intense hailstorms is also
on the rise and each year, somewhere or other in the country, such extreme weather events
occur that surpass previous rainfall and hailstorm records, highlighting the grave trend. So,
understanding and adapting to these phenomena of climate change is a requirement for
survival. The extraordinary loss of life and property in the recent pre-monsoon rains shows
that our infrastructure is not even capable of coping with minor rains. By improving the
quality of construction material, making climate-resilient infrastructure, dams, smart
transportation, power grids, communication networks, green spaces or buildings and
ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, we can ensure the safety of human lives
and property in adverse weather events. Thus, the devastating floods in Pakistan during
2022-2024 were a wake-up call for the country and the international community,
highlighting the need for greater investment in disaster preparedness and response, as well
as improving overall infrastructure development, forecasting, disaster relief response,
health and the well-being of vulnerable communities. It also underscored the importance of
addressing the root causes of natural disasters due to climate change and environmental
degradation, which have affected 33 million people and caused countless deaths in
Pakistan, a South Asian country of 240 million population that is already vulnerable to
weather anomalies ranging from drought to torrential rains and communicable diseases
outbreaks.
Furthermore, there is also a need for better public awareness arrangements, which can
play a vital role in preventing human and economic losses, as many casualties in severe
weather events are solely due to lack of awareness. People are generally unaware of the
severity of the weather and the potential dangers and they often act wrong in such
conditions out of ignorance. If the government and relevant water, environment protection,
natural disaster management agencies avoid laxity in implementing the required
preparedness in a timely manner and issue early warnings that give the public adequate

time to respond responsibly in these situations as well as use climate funds fairly, then the
loss can be reduced.
The federal and provincial governments should also focus on increasing the capacity of
institutions that provide assistance in emergency situations. There is a lot of room for
improvement in this regard. Although it is claimed that these institutions have been built
on modern lines in the last few years and the increasing loss of life in emergency situations
is a question mark over the performance of such institutions. In this matter, the tragedy
that occurred on the banks of the Swat River is a case study of how well prepared
institutions are for emergencies. The recent tragedy of drowning tourists and ongoing such
more calamities highlight the major failure of timely emergency response and foreshadows
the inadequacy of the institution to effectively deal with emergencies in a country prone to
climate disasters. It is unfortunate that timely rescue operations could not be carried out to
those trapped in the flash floods and due to the lack of immediate assistance, lives were
lost, but this dire accident could have been avoided. However, the negligence of the
administration as well as the irresponsible behavior of the public is also worsening the
situation. Awareness is very essential for this perspective. It is also worth considering with
regard to public awareness measures that if such arrangements or awareness had been
made along the river, tourists could have been prevented from the terrible risk. If
awareness-raising measures are not improved, this series of losses will not stop. Therefore,
calamities arising out of climate change should be considered as a warning and measures
should be taken to avoid such disasters in the future but can such a situation be stopped?
This is a very important question and no one has a satisfactory answer.
All provincial governments should now not only create effective environmental programs
and projects with great seriousness and consistency, but also bring them to completion on
an urgent basis. Along with this, the laws approved for environmental protection must be
strictly implemented and amendments in pr-existing laws as well as new laws relevant to
environmental protection, crimes and climate justice should be passed in accordance with
the current climatic perspective. In addition, to deal with climate change, national
environmental and foreign experts should be consulted and If these threats are still not
taken seriously or timely measures are not implemented, then in the future globe may
experience such severe climatic events more and more that neither the government nor the
public will be able to bear the burden of green and economic instability.
Written by
Attiya Munawer
Bio- The writer is an Environmentalist and activist. She covers human rights and
politicoenvironmental issues and can be reached at @AttiyaMunawer
Email- attiabutt121@gmail.com