Glaciers across northern Pakistan have been melting at an accelerated pace as a result of record-breaking summer heat, leading to deadly flash flooding and landslides.
The National Disaster Management Authority said the death toll from recent heavy monsoon rains and flooding has risen to 87, with 149 people have been injured.
The severe weather affected several regions across the country, fully destroying 71 homes and partially damaging 171 others.
In the country’s mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, the mercury rocketed to 48.5C (119.3F). Meteorologists described the temperature an unprecedented event in a region that is more than 1,200 meters above sea level and famous for its snow-capped mountains. The previous record was 47 degrees, set in 1971.
The region, which spans the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram Mountain ranges, has witnessed an acceleration in the melting of its glaciers in the past week.
Swollen local rivers due to Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding (GLOF) phenomenon, triggered flash floods and landslides that have washed away villages and roads, cutting off some communities entirely and leaving others without power or drinking water.
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The head of Gilgit-Baltistan’s disaster management authority, Zakir Hussain, said the region was facing a “very serious situation” and termed the fast formation of volatile glacial lakes as “highly hostile” to people’s safety.
He said those in some areas close to the glaciers were being evacuated from their homes. “We are facing a flood situation in many areas,” he said. “The rising temperature has sent a shiver down our spines. We have never before witnessed such weather here.”
He said, it could be just the beginning and that the region remained on high alert as warnings of high temperatures continued to soar.
There are about 7,200 glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan, though their number and size has diminished over recent years as a result of climate emergency. The glaciers feed vital river basins and are an essential part of Pakistan’s water supply.
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