Pakistan's melting glaciers pose huge danger

Passu village in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is in great danger. As glaciers in the Karakoram mountain range melt, new lakes have started to form and expand. Eventually, they burst their banks, sending torrents of water roaring down into the valley below. In 2008, one such tidal wave smashed into Passu. Since then, an early warning system has been set up to protect residents.

With temperatures rising due to climate change, glaciers in the Karakoram mountain range are vanishing. This is one of the highest mountain ranges in world, and includes the world's second tallest mountain, the K2, as well as the Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II mountains — all which top 8,000 meters (over 26,200 feet). The range extends across northern Pakistan, India and western China.

Tariq Jamil, 51, heads the UN-backed disaster risk management center in Hassanabad village, which monitors the glacier in the Hunza Valley. It's difficult to predict if and when glacial lakes might overflow. Even so, Jamil and his team have drawn up evacuation plans and are working on an early warning system, like in Passu.

Zahra Ramzan's life was upended when a glacial lake overflowed last year, sending a torrent of black water through Chalt village. The flood destroyed farmland, swept away bridges and buildings and Ramzan's 11-year-old son, Ali Mohammad. "I'm in very deep grief. I could not see my son again, even a body," she told the Reuters news agency, holding a photo of her son (Ali pictured left).

Every summer, Tariq Jamil and his team of 23 consult with external experts and advisers as they look to raise funds to extend their flood barrier. They are also seeking interest-free loans to rebuild destroyed houses, and establish better mobile phone reception in the area.

Himalayan glaciers are on track to lose up to 75% of their ice by 2100 due to global warming, changes the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development have said are "largely irreversible." More than 200 glacial lakes are considered dangerous. And the UN has estimated that at least $200 billion (€185 billion) will be needed every year for post-disaster and reconstruction efforts.

Jamil's family is thinking about leaving the area for good. "If the flood cuts us off, we will miss the nature of this village, our neighbors and relatives," said his 15-year-old daughter Tehzeeb. While Jamil is open to leaving before disaster, he would prefer to stay and help boost flood defenses in his home. "It's my responsibility to prevent the community from [facing] any disaster," he said.