By: Naveed Akhtar
The global rise in temperature and worse implications of the climate crisis are now making daily news headlines and instigating fear and concern among those more likely to suffer from the climate crisis. The journey of the mountain communities has been cut short from home to scenic natural beauty and climate resilience using traditional methods and knowledge to cope with climate crisis to now the most climate disaster-prone communities that erode the natural scenes and destroy the homes of guardians of mountains. Sermik Valley is located about 45 km from Skardu city in Gilgit-Baltistan. The valley is known for its unique history, rich culture, hospitality and scenic natural beauty. Sermik Valley welcomes its visitors with the panoramic view of the long-stretched and largest artificial forest of willow plants, the forest-covered land runs parallel to the valley’s houses. The Sermik Nullah nestles mesmerizing smaller valleys like Buroq Chat and Shilla Valley. The downstream water (locally called Choo longs) in the Nullah passes through Sermik Valley and enters into the Mighty Indus. The downstream water comes from Natural lakes outflow and glaciers melting which are situated in Sermik Nullah at high altitudes about more than 14,500 feet above sea level. Four prominent lakes including Ribo, Koshoq-thang, and Naqpo lakes are glacier-fed lakes that formed naturally in Sermik Nullah. These natural lakes support life in Sermik Valley and the dwellers of Sermik Nullah, also they are vital for agriculture and generating hydroelectric power for dwellers of Sermik Valley and its Nullah. People earn their livelihood through agriculture and livestock for which they shed sweat in heat and burn their days and nights for the sake of sustaining lives. They have scarce resources other than their lands and livestock which are the only source of livelihood for these mountain communities.
The unprecedented increase of human interference in nature and human irresponsible attitude toward the natural environment raise grave concerns and challenge human survival in mountains. The rise of tourism and along with that the associated markets like excessive numbers of vehicles, flight operations and commercial activities threaten the overall natural environment. The communities in the mountains are on the verge of destruction which is not their creation rather they are a guardian of nature and becoming victims of the sins which they don’t commit at any cost. All the lakes in Sermik Nullah are unexplored and hidden due to rough mountainous terrain only accessible through trekking for several hours. There have been continuous threats of GLOF (Glacier lakes outburst floods) as the water level rises in these Lakes due to a rise in temperature triggering glaciers’ meltdown rate and sudden thunderstorms striking lakes causing sudden outbursts of lakes. There is no any mechanism to monitor water level in those lakes and timely alert mountain communities about any flash floods. The communities are left at the mercy of God, and secondly, strong and committed communities are proof of their survival to date any climate crisis is first responded to with the spirit of utmost passion and social welfare services, which make the communities distinct and applaudable. These communities are rescuers, healers, and supporters for themselves when the need arises. The recent flash floods caused due to thunderstorms striking lakes in Sermik Nullah exposed administrative failure and failure to respond to the climate crisis. Kariko and Korako areas in Sermik Nullah experienced flash floods and subsequently turned the houses, fields and livestock into debris and washed away with floods. Beyond damaging important infrastructures, the floods filled the tanks of powerhouses with mud and debris, which are situated alongside downstream water near Sermik Valley. The event resulted in greater power supply disruptions to Sermik Valley and also to Skardu City which relies on the Powerhouses of Sermik for its electricity needs. The floods completely paralyzed the economic and social lives in Sermik Nullah, Sermik Valley and even in Skardu city. The poverty rate in Nullahs of Gilgit-Baltistan is considerably high and they lack even basic human needs like health and water sanitation. Such a climate crisis inflicts more suffering and drags the mountain communities into unending poverty. The floods in Sermik Nullah question our community’s preparedness to fight against climate crisis and emergency. Poor planning or zero planning toward climate resilience and no pathway to achieve a sustainable future is the real challenge.
The natural glaciers feeding lakes in Sermik Nullah must kept under check and monitored, using modern technology like Early warning systems and satellite images to record water level rise in those natural lakes, which are way forward and will reflect the government’s role.
Unless we make policy choices and decisions choices to combat the climate crisis, the recent floods can never be the last flood instead a beginning of new chaos and unrest.