LAHORE – After successful completion of the first phase of the five-year Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) project in 2015, the second phase of the GLOF project is likely to kick off by end of this year after elaborate discussion with various relevant stakeholders about implantation mechanism.
Rising temperatures in Pakistan’s northern areas are leading to the formation of glacial lakes in the glacial areas, which are exacerbating socio-economic and environmental risks in the mountainous areas.
However, efforts have been expedited by the government to mitigate risks to the lives and livelihoods of the mountain communities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral district by enhancing flood-resilience of the mountainous areas and communities in northern areas.
United Nation’s Green Climate Fund approved in October 2016 an amount of $36 million funding for the second phase of the GLOF project.
Climate Change Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Saleem said that the ministry conceived the idea of the second phase of GLOF and hammered out the project proposal in support with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
“Mitigating the growing risks from the glacial lakes outbursts in the country’s north Northern, implementation of the GLOF project’s second phase is being mulled over with relevant stakeholders including Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNDP – Pakistan, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Pakistan Flood Commission, National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities, community-based organisations, which will cover 15 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, benefiting 29 million people, he told APP.
Efforts would also be taken to boost food security of the mountain communities in the country’s northern regions and reduce flood-related hazards caused due to deforestation, landslides, land erosion and inefficient water use. At least, 65,000 women are to be trained in home gardening and 240 water-efficient farming technologies would be set up and 35,000 hectares of land will be reforested to alleviate devastating impacts of GLOFs.
Talking about positive results of the first phase of the $6.7 million GLOF project implemented in Bindo Gol valley of the Chitral District and Bagrot valley of Gilgit district, he said that the project helped vulnerable communities prepare for and mitigate GLOF risks through early warning systems, enhanced infrastructure and community-based disaster risk management, construct flood diversion walls around more than 10 vulnerable villages and establishment of flood early warning weather stations.
The project will impact lives of thousands of people residing in constant danger of unpredictable glacial outbursts in northern Pakistan.
Approximately 700,000 people will directly and about 30 million people will indirectly benefit from the project.
It will address climate change impacts and Glacial Lake Outbursts Floods (GLOF) risks by preventing loss of lives and community infrastructure based on a holistic approach in all seven districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and five districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, thus, contributing to a climate-resilient sustainable development in the long-term.
The project, thus, benefits about 15 per cent of the total population of Pakistan, estimated at 185 million [by World Bank data in 2014].
The project outcome will strengthen adaptive capacity and reduce exposure to climate risks posed by climate change impacts and GLOF risks through the increased technical capacity of provincial and line departments to integrate CC and GLOF risks into development plans, tools and budgets and by expanding the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Early Warning System (EWS) based on hydrological modeling and flood scenarios.
The project will also strengthen sub-national institutional capacities to plan and implement climate change and disaster-resilient development pathways as proposed outputs and activities will develop the capabilities of local level institutions and federal level institutions to incorporate climate change adaptation considerations into development plans in G-B and K-P.
The project was implemented by the climate change ministry with generous funding and logistical support from the UN’s Adaptation Fund, the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP).
The media spokesperson Mohammad Saleem recalled, “When a glacial lake burst out in April 2014 and another in July 2015, both triggering flash floods in the Bagrot valley of the Gilgit district. But the flood diversion walls built under the first phase of the GLOF project saved lives of nearly 200 valley people, village properties and maize and vegetable crops from being washed away.”
“What we observed during our field visit that really surprised us was that the floodwater diversion structures diverted the floodwater flow off the settlements and croplands, allowing it gushing safely through the valley,” he told elaborated during an interview with APP.
He said that Pakistan is home to a number of glacial lakes and more are farming as the temperatures are rising in the mountain valleys and glaciers are gradually melting in some of the valleys.
“In 2010 there were about 2,400 glacier lakes in Pakistan’s north. Presently, there are over 3,000 glacial lakes, 52 of them in the north on the verge of outburst anytime,” he pointed out.
The media spokesperson said that the number of such glacial lake formations is on the rise. However, the number is most likely to spike as temperatures are rising constantly, which is also leading summers to grow longer and warmer, and winters get shorter.
