Background
The northern mountainous areas of Pakistan encompass the Hindu-Kush and Himalaya mountain ranges. The global warming in the Himalayas is higher than the global average which is causing the retreat of glaciers to an average rate of 30 to 60 meters per decade. This results in rapid accumulation of water lakes situated on top of the mountain. As glaciers retreat, glacial lakes form behind moraine or ice 'dams’. These can breach anytime leading to floods known as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). In a GLOF, millions of cubic meters of water and debris is discharged in a few hours flooding up to hundreds of kilometers downstream. GLOFs destroy property, farms, socio-economic infrastructure and irrigation channels and undermine the already meager sources of livelihood of mountain people and downstream communities.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) has initiated a project in four countries in the Hindu-Kush-Himalayas including Northern Areas of Pakistan at the northern junction to mitigate the risk of climate-induced disasters such as GLOFs.
Objective
The project aims to address the risks posed by GLOFs in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region through strengthening non-structural and community-based approaches.
Key Achievements
In last one year, a needs assessment survey on the impact of GLOFs in Hunza River Basin is conducted.
60 men and women of Ghulkin, Passu and Hussaini villages have been trained on disaster risk reduction and first aid..
Key Documents
Project Document (PDF)
Regional Climate Risk Reduction Concept Paper (PDF)
Climate Risk Reduction-Monthly Update, Feb 2010 (PDF)
Climate Risk Reduction-Monthly Update, Jan 2010 (PDF)
