How climate change is a threat to infrastructure in Pakistan

In Blog, Climate Security, Economic Security, National Security
August 4, 2022
Rabia Sohail
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The climate in Pakistan is changing faster than expected. This is the biggest issue which is to be the concern of all, and quick actions should be taken so that Pakistan’s infrastructure and its people will be protected so that they can have a better living. Pakistan every year struggles to deal with the monsoon

The climate in Pakistan is changing faster than expected. This is the biggest issue which is to be the concern of all, and quick actions should be taken so that Pakistan’s infrastructure and its people will be protected so that they can have a better living. Pakistan every year struggles to deal with the monsoon season, which batters the country from June through August and which sets off widespread criticism over poor government planning for not being prepared every year. The main cause for not being ready every year is the economic conditions of the country which are getting worse day by day and the lack of measures taken by the government to prevent such destructions from happening.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan Region reported Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from the Shishper glacier on 07^th May 2022. It was stated by the Local observers that the flood was caused by recent warmer weather. Senator Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for Climate Change in Pakistan, stated that her government department had warned of an increased vulnerability due to the recent high temperatures still no such effective measures were taken before the flooding to save the area. The outburst of the Shishper glacier led to the damage of the collapse of the Hassanabad Bridge on KKH and destroyed the cultivated lands and houses on both sides of the canal. It was also reported by the Police in the area that the flooding destroyed a bridge in Hassanabad, Hunza which severely disrupted the traffic along the Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway was also severely damaged, and the main bridge connecting Pakistan and China got washed away, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded on both sides of the Karakoram Highway.

Pakistan

Faced at least a 10% reduction in the domestic production of wheat and a 30% reduction in mangos in Sindh in the year due to the heat wave. The main cause of this is pollution, carbon emission, and deforestation are rapidly warming up the planet heat waves occur naturally in the summer months. There is no denying that climate change is aggravating these events though no such measures are taken to stop such issues since deforestation is leading to a rise in the temperature due to which in 2022 summer there was less production of mangos which is the main export of Pakistan affecting the exports.

In 2022 the monsoon season has been particularly brutal causing a lot of damage, offering an urgent reminder that in a time of global warming, extreme weather events are increasingly the norm, not the exception, across the region and that Pakistan’s majority of the cities remain ill-equipped to handle them like Karachi. Even though the climate was predicted by the weather forecast still the government did not take any measures to prevent the damages that occurred to the infrastructure and deaths that have been increasing daily in the provinces such as Baluchistan, Sindh, KPK, and Punjab.

After heavy rainfall in Karachi, the infrastructure of the metropolitan city has been badly affected. The moderate to heavy showers played havoc while low-lying areas of the city are still flooded with rainwater. Gadap River in Karachi has overflowed, while three people fled to the Lath River. The water level in the Malir River was continuously rising which was a threat to the lives of the people as the rescue teams saved four people from the river. The extreme flooding in Karachi due to climate change led to entering into the houses damaging furniture, electronics, and other precious valuables. Not only affect the infrastructure but also the lives of the people since it takes days to clean the houses after the floods and then go back to their normal lives. This leads to an effect on the businesses as well as the people have to face huge losses and leads to economic stability in Pakistan. People of Pakistan still to this date face such issues because when the season of the monsoon comes there are no measures taken by the government to prevent such damages as the main issue of blockage of drainage remains.

The other impact of climate change will be after damaging the infrastructure and businesses the survivors are bound to drink unclean water in the rural areas of Pakistan which affect the health condition of the locals. The crops being destroyed such as wheat and cotton etc. this leads to affect the lives of the locals since they are bound to eat unhygienic food and drink dirty water which leads to rising in health diseases in Pakistan. The reason that we still face such issues is due to the government more focusing on the economic issues of Pakistan rather than the climate issues.

The government announced a public holiday on 25^th July 2022 in Karachi and Hyderabad in a bid to avert flood chaos and to ensure the safety of the public, section 144 (6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in the Karachi division with effect from July 25 to 31. The public holiday on 25^th July 2022 affected the business, children missed school and so forth, and on the same day 2 people were electrocuted by the power lines that fell into a flood this is the regular cause of death in the city draining the monsoon. More than 500 small and large storm water drains in the metropolis have not been cleaned, while 27 large drains are clogged with trash and mud which can cause a disaster leading to causing damage in the city.

Recently, on 31^st July 2022, the death toll in flood and rain-related accidents in Balochistan was reported to be 11, on 30^th July 2022 Saturday; at least 10 people were killed and several others injured, and dozens of houses and other infrastructure were destroyed in various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and in Sindh, five bodies were found stuck in different gates of Sukkur Barrage, taking the official death toll over the last three days to 14. It stated that the heavy rains also destroyed houses and infrastructure in Khyber, Buner, Swat, and other areas of the province. If these issues continue to go on this is the reason for the government to focus on the climate change that is damaging the economy and infrastructure of Pakistan.