A timely authority

EVERY summer now seems to bring fresh warnings from Pakistan’s northern mountains. This week was no different, with the Met Office cautioning that warm temperatures and heavy rain could trigger glacial lake outburst floods. It is against this increasingly alarming backdrop that authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is already experiencing flash floods, have moved to set up a Glaciers Protection Authority — a timely initiative. Climate change is an immediate threat to lives, livelihoods and water security. Our glaciers, among the largest outside the polar regions, feed river systems that irrigate farms, generate electricity and provide drinking water to millions. Yet rising temperatures are accelerating their retreat while increasing the risk of floods, landslides and debris flows that can devastate mountain communities with little warning. A dedicated authority could help shift the focus from responding to disasters to preparing for them. But only if it is more than another addition to bureaucracy. It should be backed by legislation, expertise and adequate funding, with a mandate to monitor glacier health, coordinate research, guide conservation efforts and ensure that roads, tourism projects and other development in vulnerable areas take climate risks into account. It should also strengthen Pakistan’s ability to secure global climate finance for adaptation.

Encouragingly, disaster preparedness in GB has improved. Early warning systems, emergency response centres and community awareness programmes are already helping reduce the human cost of extreme weather. But preparedness is only part of the answer. Poor land-use planning, environmental degradation and encroachment into hazard-prone valleys magnify the impact of climate-related disasters. Those vulnerabilities cannot be addressed once an alert has been issued. They require stronger institutions, better governance and the political will to put long-term resilience ahead of short-term expediency. Pakistan cannot halt the melting of its glaciers on its own, but it can do far more to reduce the risks that accompany it. The Glaciers Protection Authority should therefore be judged not by the announcement of its creation but by whether it changes the way the country manages one of its most precious natural assets. The mountains are changing faster than government policy. This is an opportunity to narrow that gap before another seasonal warning turns into an avoidable tragedy.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2026

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