Window to Gilgit-Baltistan

By   Syed Shamsuddin PERCHED on the roof of the world, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is home to some of the planet’s loftiest peaks and the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions. This breathtaking landscape, however, is also one of the most climate-fragile frontiers on Earth. In recent years, the region has experienced unsettling changes: unseasonal rains, cloudbursts of alarming intensity, and devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). These events are no longer rare anomalies; they are becoming a new normal that threatens lives, livelihoods, cultural heritage, and vital infrastructure such as the Karakoram Highway. The Changing Landscape Rising temperatures are accelerating glacier melt and altering the timing of river flows, creating both sudden flood risks and seasonal water shortages. Winter rains at higher elevations, storms in off-seasons, and cloudbursts that overwhelm local systems are disrupting the traditional calendars of farming and daily life. ...