Rising temperatures in the Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya (HKH) region are melting Pakistan’s glaciers faster than ever before, triggering Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) that threaten thousands of mountain communities. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, the region could lose up to one-third of its glacier mass by 2100 if emissions remain high.
“Pakistan’s northern glaciers are the water towers of South Asia. Their accelerated melt has serious downstream consequences,” said Dr. Saleemul Huq, IPCC Lead Author.
The NDMA recorded over 50 GLOF events in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last decade. The UNDP GLOF-II Project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), is installing early warning systems in 24 high-risk valleys, but experts warn the coverage remains limited.
A 2024 Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) study found mean annual temperatures in Gilgit have increased by 1.3°C since 1980, leading to the formation of 3,000 glacial lakes — 33 of which are considered dangerous.
“We’re living with a permanent sense of fear,” said Sadia Karim, a resident of Hunza, recalling the 2022 GLOF that destroyed her family’s fields.
The World Bank has urged investments in mountain infrastructure and glacial monitoring using satellite data to prevent catastrophic losses.
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