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KARACHI, July 17: While industrialised countries around the world argue over about carbon emissions trade, a number of environmentalists in Pakistan have identified the slow melt of the Siachen glacier as one of the factors that contributed towards the recent storms in Sindh and Balochistan and the cyclone Yemyin.
Certainly, weather patterns witnessed last month are linked with global climate change and a significant rise in sea-levels. Environmentalists argue therefore that military presence on the Siachen glacier must be minimised if not completely removed, and recommend the careful monitoring of all projects that may effect climate change, even on the local level.
The director-general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Dr Qamaruzzaman Chaudhry, told Dawn that “melting has increased significantly in the case of the Siachen glacier.” However, he pointed out that while the recent storms and cyclone are linked to the global phenomenon of climate change, these occurrences cannot be “directly linked with the melting of glacial ice.”
‘Weather abnormalities’
Dr Chaudhry’s views were contradicted by Arshad Abbassi, a consultant with the Pakistan Meteorological Department, who asserted that “rising sea levels and the rate of evaporation is definitely increasing. This is directly related to the melting of the Siachen glacier, which led to these abnormalities in the weather patterns.”
Safia Shafiq, an expert on environmental impact assessment and climate change associated with IUCN, agreed to a certain extent. “The melting of glacial ice has speeded up because of increased military activity and every possible step should be taken to minimise human interference in the area,” she commented.
However, she pointed out that the melting of a single glacier “does not augment the sea level to rise to such a dangerous extent that it brings about such storms and cyclones.”
‘Military presence’
Ms Shafiq’s views are shared by a military official who spoke to Dawn on the condition of anonymity. Having spent a considerable amount of time at the glacier, he conceded that “it is true that the military presence led to the construction of roads etc, and transport in the area includes the use of animals which lead to a lot of garbage and dirt.” However, he too added that “this cannot lead to a global hazard of the sort that can cause the devastation that was seen recently in coastal areas.”
The senior communication executive of WWF-Pakistan, Samman Ehsan, also blamed abnormal weather patters on global warming, emphasising that “industrialised countries contribute a dangerous amount of greenhouse gases but developing states are the principle victims of the phenomenon of global warming.” However, she declined to comment on the whether the melting of the Siachen glacial ice played a decisive role in the recent storms in Sindh and Balochistan.
In view of such expert opinions, the average citizen remains confused as to whether Pakistan, as a state, was responsible for or continues to contribute to climatic changes that cased the deaths of scores of people.
