Environmental Protection

There are more than 6,000 glaciers in northern Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). These are clean water reservoirs that actually irrigate Pakistan. But these glaciers are changing rapidly due to climate change. The ecosystem of these areas is changing. Global warming has accelerated their melting and more lakes have been formed as a result. Flooding due to the melting endangers lives and livelihoods of millions of local people and adversely affects the ecology. 

Climate change is a global issue, and its adverse effects are emerging in most countries worldwide. Many countries are taking steps to address these serious issues by introducing new climate-sensitive policies or through legislative changes. In contrast, poorer countries have not been able to do the same. Global warming and the rising sea surface temperature are having devastating effects on the local economy and the livelihood of the coastal communities in Balochistan.

This article weaves together an in-depth interview of a journalist and his family’s tribulations of urban flooding in the city of Karachi in Pakistan analysing various dynamics that merge erratic changing climate to faulty urban management. The article further explores the intergenerational loss due to climate change by retelling the protagonist’s experiences with family history and flooding. Socio-political elements are also discussed to shed light on the more sinister and systemic bottlenecks to urban planning and management that is more climate resilient and responsive. Finally, it merges Karachi’s most popular urban myth with climate change projections to show how people use storytelling to either fight against climate change or become complacent to its eventual disasters.

With the advent of zigzag technology used to transform conventional brick kilns into more eco-friendly kilns since 2017, black smoke emitting from brick kilns is now accepted to be the result of poor combustion and inefficient burning of coal, which adds to choking air pollution in Pakistan’s cities. White smoke means the combustion process is optimised, hence there is no stream of un-burnt particles, which is good for the environment and also means more profits for brick owners. In May, the Punjab Environment Protection Department announced that conversion of almost all 8,000 brick kilns in the province to zigzag technology would reduce air pollution by about 15 per cent in the future.

Every November a thick smog descends upon Lahore, blocking out the winter sunshine and causing air quality monitors to record hazardous readings. In cooler weather air pollution caused by emissions from traffic, industries and the burning of crops and solid waste gets trapped and they are all major contributors to the winter smog.