Download the pakistan himalaya notes 2011

THE PAKISTAN
HIMALAYA NOTES 2011
EDITORIAL TEAM
AKHANDA RAJ UPRETI
NIRMALA GHIMIRE
ANJANA SHRESTHA
POOJA PATHAK
ANUJ PRADHAN
RAJU JATI
DEEPA SHRESTHA
SANDHYA SUBEDI
KANCHAN OJHA
SANGEETA SHRESTHA
MEDINEE PRAJAPATI
SHANTA PANDIT
MOHAN B SHRESTHA
SUNIL THAPA
NABINA MAHARJAN
SURENDRA DEV BHATTA
NIRJALA TIMISINA
SWASTI SHRESTHA
Contents
AGRICULTURE ................................................................................................................. 1
DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................... 1
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ......................................................................... 1
FOREST............................................................................................................................ 2
POPULATION AND HEALTH ............................................................................................. 3
WATER ............................................................................................................................ 4
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION .............................................................................................. 6
HEADLINES HIMALAYA 2011
AGRICULTURE
SELLING TOXIC WHEAT
The World Food Programme has sold a huge quantity of decomposed wheat, stored in its two
warehouses in Peshawar and Nowshera districts. The decamped stock was declared unfit for
consumption of human beings and animals. REF# 170
DRY SPELL IRKS FARMERS
Most of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa areas have not received rainfall putting wheat growers into
misery. For the first time after 2002, the area is facing dry spell at this time of the year. If this
persists for a couple of weeks, the farmers will have to incur huge financial loses. In 2010,
wheat was cultivated on around 370,000 hectares in the arid area of the province. REF# 187
DEVELOPMENT
SNOW LEOPARD SAFARI
Tourists can now see snow leopards in their natural habitat on the sky‐high mountainous
terrains of Gilgit‐ Baltistan. This ambitious plan, carved out by Himalayan Holidays, an
Islamabad‐based tour operator, will help explore snow leopards, which are found in the dense
forests at an altitude of 1,200 to 2,000 m. The tour will take wildlife lovers from Islamabad to
Gilgit, where the journey begins by a road trek to Ramghat via Partabpul and Bunji. REF# 148
60 WATER PUMPS BENEFIT 6,400 PEOPLE
In order to provide clean drinking water facility to 6,400 inhabitants of MianKhel sub‐tribe of
Mian Hassan Khel tribe in Peshawar, 60 water hand pumps have been installed near to the
clusters of houses which have ensured access to maximum families to get water. REF# 159
POWER THIEVES
The Peshawar Electric Supply Company has recovered Rs 550 million from defaulting
consumers and power thieves. Peshawar is one of the three districts in the country with
highest rate of electricity theft. REF# 185
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
GLACIERS ARE NOT MELTING
Researchers have discovered that contrary to popular belief half of the ice flows in the
Karakoram range of the mountains are actually growing rather than shrinking. The discovery
adds a new twist to the row over whether global warming is causing the world's highest
mountain range to lose its ice cover. It further challenges claims made in a 2007 report by the
UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the glaciers would be gone by 2035. The
new study by scientists at the Universities of California and Potsdam has found that half of the
glaciers in the Karakoram range, in the northwestern Himalaya, are in fact advancing and that
global warming is not the deciding factor in whether a glacier survives or melts. REF# 144
KAGHAN LOSES GLACIERS
At least four big glaciers in the Kaghan Valley, western Himalaya have vanished due to the
effects of global warming in the last 20 years. There were about eight big glaciers in Kaghan
valley but only four now. REF# 164
1 | HEADLINES HIMALAYA 2011
THE FLOOD IS COMING
Some 18 villages and towns along the Kunhar and Siren Rivers, western Himalaya have been
listed as highly dangerous in view of floods in the monsoon season. About Rs 10 million had
been transferred to the emergency account to cope with any flood situation and promptly
launch relief activities. REF# 165
MONSOON FEAR
Rains and heavy showers which arrive late as compared to the eastern Himalaya, are expected
in various parts of the Himalayan range including Kashmir. As the strong monsoon, currents
are reaching upper parts of the country from the east, authorities have been advised to
remain alert and take precautionary measures accordingly. REF# 167
SOURCES OF THE JHELUM, CHENAB AND INDUS RIVERS ARE IN KASHMIR
As population growth and climate change increase competition for water around the world,
India and Pakistan may find water a growing source of conflict, analysts say. The roots of the
Jhelum, Chenab and Indus (rivers) are in Kashmir, and India has depleted water supplies from
two rivers, the Ravi and Sutlej, which have their sources in India but flow into north-east
Pakistan, as well as from the Beas, an Indian tributary of the Sutlej. Indian officials maintain
they are operating within the boundaries of the Indus Water Treaty, though the treaty is
widely viewed within Pakistan as favouring India. World Bank mediation of one dispute over
dam building was decided in 2007 in India’s favour. REF# 169
HOW TO TRACK FLOOD RISK FROM MELTING GLACIERS
Over the past seven years, Pakistan has installed five glacier monitoring stations in its
northern mountainous areas, each costing around $20,000. Last July, the highest of these was
set on the Baltoro glacier in northern Gilgit-Baltistan at 4,750 m. Experts believe climate
change in northern Pakistan is increasing ice and snow melt in the upper part of the Indus
River basin, leading to more frequent floods downstream. REF# 175
FOREST
DOES NATIONAL PARK NEED WEDDING HALL?
Ayub National Park of Rawalpindi has been converted into commercial area which spreads
over 547 acres. The incumbent management has constructed around 20 luxury rooms, a
wedding hall and multi‐purpose auditorium for commercial purposes besides cutting down
many trees. The district officer environment said no changes including house construction are
allowed in a national park. REF# 154
USING INDUS RIVER TO SMUGGLE OUT TIMBER
A large‐scale illegal cutting of trees was underway in the Torghar, Kohistan and Tanawal area
of Mansehra and Battagram, which were smuggled via the Indus River, western Himalaya as
the timber beams were thrown into the water and pulled out of the river before they reached
the Tarbela reservoir. Most of the bridges on the IndusnRiver in Kohistan district were
damaged after being hit by the heavy wooden beams. The forest department seized hundreds
of cubic meters of timber. REF# 164
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POPULATION AND HEALTH
REGIONAL LANGUAGES IN DANGER OF DYING OUT
One fifth of the 30 languages spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adjoining western Himalaya,
will die out in the next couple of years because there are only several hundred persons left
speaking these languages. These dying languages – Yidgha, Ushojo, Gawro, Kalasha, Gawarbati
and Badeshi – are spoken in the hilly areas of Kohistan, Chitral and Swat districts, which are
already lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of social service delivery. Yidgha
language of Chitral is among the 23 languages of Pakistan which have recently been declared
endangered by the UNESCO. REF# 141
VEGETABLES AND SEWER WATER
Vegetables and crops grown in the city are three times more contaminated than the World
Health Organisation’s standards and are extremely toxic to life, resultantly, causing severe
nervous system disruption and lethargy besides being a causative factor of cancer and
premature births. A study revealed that much of the irrigation to farms in Peshawar was being
done from sewerage water which came from hospitals and industries with a high ratio of toxic
materials. Also the indiscriminate and untimely use of pesticides and fertilizers has made the
crops vulnerable to toxicity, resultantly, reducing the nutrient contents in them. REF# 144
OVER THREE MILLION LIVES LOST TO NATURAL DISASTERS
A two‐year collaboration of climate scientists, economists, geographers, political scientists and
psychologists have reported that storms, floods, earthquakes, and droughts caused more than
3.3 million deaths and $2,300 billion (in 2008 dollars) in damage between 1970 and 2008. The
study proposes cost‐effective, hazard‐specific infrastructure and early warning system. REF#
149
RADIATION ARRIVED
After earthquakes and tsunami, radioactive vapors from the Japanese nuclear reactors, have
arrived Pakistan through rain water. The government informed only after a 15‐day delay as it
happened on April 1. REF# 155
110 MILLION POOR PAKISTANIS ARE GETTING POORER
At least six out of ten Pakistanis earn Rs 170 or less a day which means 110 million Pakistani
are poor. The bad news is that 110 million poor Pakistanis are getting poorer by the day
because of rising inflation. A report suggested that 57 percent millions more are being pushed
into poverty, hunger and food deprivation. REF# 164
RISE OF THE DENGUE FEVER
The total dengue patients have reached 4,327 this year in Pakistan and out of these 3,925 have
been reported from Lahore. The government has closed all educational institutions in Lahore
for next 10 days to launch a spray campaign. Heaps of garbage and stagnant rainwater are the
major source of dengue mosquito growth. REF# 174
RAINS CLAIMED 209 LIVES AND DISPLACED 5.3 MILLION
Rains, which have already claimed 209 lives and displaced 5.3 million people in Sindh,
pounded southern parts of the country on Monday causing more destruction. Recent rains in
Sindh were nearly two-and-a-half time’s normal levels, and inundated 4.1 million acres,
3 | HEADLINES HIMALAYA 2011
including 1.7 million acres of crops. Some 700,000 houses had been damaged, 150,000 people
are in relief camps and 64,000 livestock are lost. REF# 174
MONSOON COUNT
According to National Disaster Management Authority, 5.3 million people have been affected
by this summer’s heavy rains in 23 districts of Sindh. The rains caused 141 deaths, inundated
4.5 million acres of land, displaced four million people and damaged 700,000 houses. Standing
crops on 1.7 million acres have been affected, while over 120,000 cattle have been lost due to
flooding and various diseases in the rain-affected areas. REF# 179
WATER
INDIA PLANS TO CONSTRUCT 250 DAMS IN CHENUB
Pakistan government officials said that India was planning to construct about 250 small and
big dams over River Chenab, western Himalaya, which would aggravate the water situation in
Pakistan and people in the cities like Lahore and Karachi may face rationing of water in the
near future. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (of Pakistan territory) is estimated to have hydel power
potential of 18,000 megawatts and it has initiated to work on the construction of 1,000MW
Neelum‐Jhelum hydel power project. REF# 140
VIABILITY OF PAKISTAN WITHOUT WATER?
An in‐depth study suggests that water shortages pose the greatest future threat to the
viability of Pakistan as a state and a society. The country is going to face the worst water
shortage in the next couple of years due to insufficient water management practices and
storage capacity. Per capita surface water availability was 5,260 cubic meters in 1951, when
population was 34 million, which has been reduced to 1,038 cubic meters in 2010 when the
estimated population is 172 million. REF# 147
AVERTING WATER CONFLICTS
India has been awarded carbon credits by the UNFCCC for two hydropower projects — Chutak
and Nimoo‐Bazgo — contested by Pakistan for allegedly being constructed in violation of the
1960 Indus Waters Treaty by India. Although no single dam along the rivers controlled by the
treaty may affect Pakistan`s access to water, the cumulative effect of these projects could give
India the ability to store enough water to limit the supply to Pakistan at crucial moments in
the growing season. REF# 150
NOT UTILIZING HYDRO POTENTIAL
Pakistan’s hydro potential is estimated at 40,000 megawatts (MW) and yet only 16 percent of
this potential is currently being utilised. At present power generation in Pakistan is based
primarily on thermal generation, which includes furnace oil and natural gas. The wind corridor
at Gharo itself had been identified with an actual potential of some 50,000 MW. According to
the Hydel Power Policy 1995 and the Power Policy 2002, the government has also been in the
process of developing a separate power policy as well. REF# 151
ONE OF THE MOST “WATER STRESSED” COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
Pakistan has become one of the most “water stressed” countries in the world, which is likely
to face an acute water shortage over the next five years due to lack of water availability for
irrigation, industry and human consumption. Water supply in Pakistan fell from 5,000 m3 per
capita to 1,000 m3 in 2010, and is likely to further reduce to 800 m3 per capita by 2020.
According to Falkenmark Water Stress Indicator, a country or region is said to experience
“water stress” when annual water supplies drop below 1,700 m3 per person per year. In
Pakistan, fresh and drinking water is excessively wasted at all levels. Besides wastage,
4 | HEADLINES HIMALAYA 2011
burgeoning population, climate change, lack of water reservoirs, and manipulation of Jhelum
and Chenab rivers by India are other key factors squeezing water availability in the country.
REF# 151
WATER STORAGE CAPACITY TO BE RAISED
With Pakistan increasingly becoming water deficient, Indus River System Authority has drawn
up plans for creating capacity to store an additional 20 million acre feet (MAF) of water on
‘war footing’ to keep the economy floating. Pakistan accuses India of blatant violations of the
treaty by building dozens of low and high dams on all the six rivers and tributaries has
exceeded the allowable storage limit of 4.19MAF fixed in the treaty. So far, the dams have
created 10MAF of dead storage and 25‐30MAF of live storage, depriving Pakistan of its water
rights. REF# 159
FOR BHASA DAM AFFECTED PEOPLE
The DiamirBhasha Dam project which launched early this year in western Himalaya, is
expected to complete in 7-8 years at a cost of over USD 11 billion. It is the biggest hydropower
project with reservoir capacity of eight million acres generating 4500 MW electricity. The
authority has agreed to compensate more from the initial amount of Rs 92 million to Rs 262
million to local residents whose farms lie in the DiamirBhasha Dam project area. REF# 165
ALL SEWERS INTO THE RIVER SYSTEM
Dilapidated sewer system has been posing serious health hazards in Chiniot, along the
Chennab River. Chiniot authorities is dumping sewer water in River Chennab that originates in
Himachal Pradesh of India, causing hepatitis. Also, sewer water is seeping into drinking water
and almost 50% people of the area have been suffering from hepatitis. REF# 168
ODDS OVER SHRINKING INDUS RIVER
Nearly 30% of the world's cotton supply comes from India and Pakistan, much of that from the
Indus River Valley, western Himalaya. The Indus River, which begins in Indian-controlled
Kashmir and flows through Pakistan on its way to the sea, is Pakistan's primary freshwater
source—on which 90% of its agriculture depends—and a critical outlet of hydropower
generation for both countries. The Indus is dependent on glacial melting for as much as half of
its flow. So its fate is uniquely tied to the health of the Himalayas. But dwindling river flows
will be harder to share as the populations in both countries grow and the per-capita water
supply plummets. REF# 178
IRRIGATION TUBEWELLS: AN EXPENSIVE AFFAIR
The public sector irrigation tube wells installed in early 70s in Peshawar and Nowshera, have
become an expensive economic proposition for the government because of the worn out
machines and growing operational and maintenance costs. An amount of Rs 30 million had
been kept for the maintenance and repair in the current financial year. Maximum life span of
tube wells is 10 years to 15 years and Rs 1 million to Rs 1.2 million is required to install new
one. REF# 183
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WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
BREEDING CHEER PHEASANT
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wildlife has arrangements to breed cheer pheasants in
DohdialPheasantry in Manshera district. About 60 new pairs of Cheer pheasant have been
raised at the Pheasantry. REF# 143
DEATH OF SIX INDUS RIVER DOLPHINS
Death of six Indus dolphins in the last month has become a major concern for the Sindh
Government. The Sindh Wildlife Department said local fisherman, poison and nets were to
blame. The blind endangered mammal is found only in the Indus River. A 2006 survey put the
numbers left in the river at 1,300. Increasingly low watern levels and the spilling of pesticides
into the river have reduced the dolphin habitat. REF# 145
SHRINKING WETLANDS, DWINDLING BIRDS
Rawal Lake in Islamabad to Manchhar Lake in Daduare important wintering grounds for
migratory birds. But the dwindling number of migratory birds coming to Islamabad’s Rawal
Lake every winter is a reminder of the continual degradation of the globally important Indus
Flyway wetlands ecosystem in Pakistan. This system, comprising four designated areas or
complexes stretching across the length of the country from north to south, has been under
serious threat from unregulated development activities and hunting. REF# 146
ONE MORE DOLPHIN DIES
Another rare blind dolphin was found dead in the Indus, raising the death toll to seven in
Guddu‐ Sukkurarea within in a month. The 15‐year old male dolphin weighed 62 kg had visible
injuries on its head and body. The dolphin might have died due to injuries after being hit with
the one of the gates of Guddu barrage while trying to return to upstream of the barrage. Six
other dolphins had died after being trapped in nets of fishermen. REF# 150
FISHING ENDANGERS LOCAL FISH
Ruthless fishing, using electric current, gunpowder and chemicals, have threatened the
indigenous Mallah fish in the rivers and streams of Hazara, northwest Pakistan. Owing to its
shortage in the local rivers and streams, the price of Mallah has jumped to Rs 300 – 400 per kg.
REF# 171
6 | HEADLINES HIMALAYA 2011