The First Snowfall and Global Warming in the Hindu Kush

The scene of the first snowfall of the year in the Booni village, northern Chitral, the Hindu Kush region, which gets much snowfall as compared to the southern hemisphere. Sometimes the snowstorm damages road infrastructure, bridges, electricity transmission system. It is worth mentioning here that the prospect of global warming has had its visible impacts in the Hindu Kush region in that glaciers are receding quickly and measurably. Last year the village of Sonorghor and Brep were completely destroyed when the glaciers burst out owing to the growing temperature. This caused great damages to properties and livestock of the locals and completely displaced the inhabitants. Similar situation was experienced when the residents of the of Washich village–45 of them–were death as snow avalanche just came down and destroyed the entire village at the midnight. Local say this happened because there has been increase in temperature which leads to early snow avalanches in many parts of the Chitral district.

What needs is to take concrete efforts to ward off such natural hazards by taking effective measures at global level through reducing gas emission into the atmosphere. Even if they happen in many respects, then measures to reduce natural disaster related causalities should be put in place.