Glaciers across northern Pakistan have been melting at an accelerated pace as a result of record-breaking summer temperatures, leading to deadly flash flooding and landslides.
The floods and heavy monsoon rains have caused devastation across the country this summer, killing at least 72 people and injuring more than 130 since the rains began in late June.
In the country’s mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, temperatures have risen as high as 48.5C (119.3F), which local officials described as unprecedented in a region that is more than 1,200 metres above sea level and famous for its snow-capped mountains. The previous record was 47 degrees, set in 1971.
The region, which spans the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram mountain ranges, has witnessed an acceleration in the melting of its glaciers in the past week.
It has led to the swelling of the local rivers and the formation of unstable lakes that have burst, triggering flash floods and landslides that have washed away villages and roads, cutting off some communities entirely and leaving others without power or drinking water.
The head of Gilgit-Baltistan’s disaster management authority, Zakir Hussain, said the region was facing a “very serious situation” and described the fast formation of volatile glacial lakes as “highly hostile” to people’s safety.
He said those in some areas close to the glaciers were being evacuated from their homes. “We are facing a flood situation in many areas,” he said. “The rise of temperature has sent a shiver down our spines. We have never before witnessed such weather here.”
He said it could be just the beginning and that the region remained on high alert as warnings of high temperatures continued.
There are about 7,200 glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan, though their number and size has diminished over recent years as a result of the climate emergency. The glaciers feed vital river basins and are an essential part of Pakistan’s water supply.
Tariq Ali, a resident in Gilgit, said the flash floods and high temperatures had devastated swathes of agricultural land, which most people relied on for their livelihoods.
“It is like hell,” said Ali. “There has been no rain for quite some time, we are only seeing heatwaves and are witnessing very serious ice-melting. I personally have never witnessed such summer conditions in Gilgit.”
Pakistan, with a population of 240 million, is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of the climate crisis, facing erratic rains and a high risk of floods and severe heatwaves. . Devastating flash floods in 2022 killed at least 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million.
Experts say the country may be facing a repeat of the 2022 floods. Punjab province has recorded heavy rainfall in recent days, resulting in urban flooding. The authorities have said above-average rainfall will continue in the coming days.
A family died while on holiday last month after they were swept away by the Swat River in northern Pakistan after heavy rains and flash floods.
Pakistan’s former climate change minister Sherry Rehman said not enough was being done to prepare and protect the country. “We are at the epicentre of a global climate polycrisis,” she wrote on X. “Pakistan is now number one in 2025 as the most climate-impacted country. That’s huge. But do you see alarm bells ringing? I don’t.”
