Kalam:
Likewise, a 55 -year -old resident of the Oshu village in the Upper Kalam observed impotent while the water climbed his stone house, as a result of Rising River Swat.
The recent flood, caused by the accelerated fusion of glaciers combined with heavy rains, forced many villagers to hurriedly placed sandbags around their homes in an attempt to stop water and rescue belongings.
“The water flow in the SWAT River has increased every summer due to the rapid fusion of glaciers and erratic rains,” As As As.
Transporting stones in donkeys from the nearby mountains, asi and their family are trying to restore their damaged home.
He recalled a time when the glaciers were much closer to the town. “Our currents used to flow constantly. Now, they are dry or flooded unpredictably,” he said.
He blamed illegal construction, glaciers melting, invasion and deforestation for amplifying the speed of the river and destructive power.
During generations, the villagers such as As Els have been based mainly on irrigation fed by the glacier to grow crops such as wheat, barley, peaches and apricots. But changing water patterns have made agriculture more and more uncertain.
“Now we depend on the rain, which is rarely enough. Sometimes, we lose entire crops due to drought or sudden floods,” he lamented.
Swat glaciers are vital for the Indo River system and its tributaries, supplying clean water to millions and maintaining the fragile ecosystem of the region.
However, its rapid retirement due to global warming is representing a serious threat.
“As temperatures increase, glaciers are going back to an alarming pace, triggering ecological, social and economic consequences,” said the environmental expert, Dr. Shafiqur Rehman.
Pakistan houses more than 7,253 glaciers more than anywhere outside the polar regions. Among them are notable are bastoro (63 km), Biafo (67 km) and batura (57 km) in Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as almost 500 glaciers in the Tirich Mir range of the high chitral, which feed main rivers such as the Swat, Panjkora, Kabul and Indo.
“Our irrigation systems depend largely on these glaciers,” said Dr. Rehman, adding with rapid population growth and the reduction of glaciers, Pakistan faces an imminent water crisis and by extension, food insecurity.
Citing the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), said the Himalayas region is heating faster than the global average. Some glaciers are losing up to five meters thick every year. Since glaciers act as natural deposits, store water and gradually release it, its accelerated fusion is to alter this balance.
