Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan – As we push toward Pakistan’s first organic village, an intense hour-long hike along the rugged, steep, unfenced mountain path of Mindoq-Khar near Fort Kharpocho, my legs shake with a mix of fear and tension. .
The sharp edges of the mountains jut out menacingly, and I am reminded of the moving lyrics of Ali Zafar’s Paharon Ki Qasam (Oath of the Mountains), a tribute to the late Pakistani climbing hero, Muhammad Ali Sadpara of Skardu, who tragically lost his life in February 2021, while climbing the famous Gargalo ravine, which lies just 300 meters (984 feet) below the summit of K2.
Above us, the sky is a brilliant shade of blue, adding to the surreal beauty of the landscape. As we get a wider view of the Indus River valley below us, our 44-year-old guide, Abbas Jaan, stops and draws our attention to the color of the water.
“You can see the water turning murky gray, carrying with it particles from the retreating glaciers,” he says, his eyes scanning the slow waves of this vital supply of drinking water. “And even though it’s gray,” he adds, “glacial water is rich in minerals and incredibly pure.”
“But year after year, these glaciers are melting rapidly. They’re getting smaller,” he says, pointing to the thousands of smaller glacial peaks that surround us in the distance; some mountains are covered in snow, while others are dry and brown.
The town of Skardu, where we started, is about 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) above sea level. It is the gateway to the Karakoram mountain range and some of the world’s highest peaks such as K2, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum, making it a popular destination for trekkers and mountaineers who come to marvel at the stunning scenery.
With a population of more than 200,000 inhabitants, the city has a rich cultural mix influenced by Tibetan, Balti and other Central Asian traditions, where different Islamic sects coexist, including Noor Bakshi, Sunnis and Shiites.
But this region of Pakistan is also home to more than 7,000 glaciers – the largest number outside of Earth’s polar regions.
These icy giants are much more than just a breathtaking natural spectacle; they are vital to the local ecosystem.
They serve as a crucial source of freshwater, supporting agriculture and fueling electricity generation through meltwater that feeds rivers.
Now, however, its existence is threatened.
A 2019 study (PDF) published in the Pakistan Geographical Review of the Lahore College for Women University, highlights the increasingly unusual behavior of glaciers in the Karakoram mountain range compared to glaciers in other parts of the world.
The Baltoro Glacier is a particular example. Spanning around 63 km (39 miles) in length, Baltoro is one of the world’s longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Its width varies, but generally ranges from two to three kilometers. Meltwater from the Baltoro glaciers feeds the Shigar River, which is the main tributary of the right bank of the Indus River Valley in the Skardu Valley.
It is an essential source of freshwater for this region and beyond, but the study showed that the glacier has shrunk in size by 0.9 percent each year between 2003 and 2017.
The immediate effect of glacier shrinkage is rising water levels and even dangerous flooding in the Shigar River.
Locally, roads have been known to become completely submerged when water levels rise too high, says Chris Lininger, founder and director of US-based travel company Epic Expeditions, which travels through Pakistan’s intricate terrain, including the Baltoro Glacier. , since 2018. .
“I actually had a problem leaving a trip when the floods happened in 2022 because the road was just gone,” he said on a Zoom call. “Many [locals] They’re already in a low socioeconomic state, and when that happens, it’s catastrophic for them.”
But the extreme long-term effect will be even more deadly – the water will eventually dry up when the glacier disappears.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
