'In the mouth of dragons': Melting glaciers threaten Pakistan's north

Flood early warning systems informed by recent research could stop glaciers, like the one in #Marmolada in Italy, destroying communities. This initiative in Pakistan, where glaciers are moving 100x faster than normal, is a strong example 👉 https://t.co/jR8z3C3kww pic.twitter.com/BAtRcCLyJi

— PreventionWeb (@PreventionWeb) July 6, 2022

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Pakistan is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere else on Earth outside the poles.

Rising global temperatures linked to climate change are causing the glaciers to rapidly melt, creating thousands of glacial lakes.

The government has warned that 33 of these lakes -– all located in the spectacular Himalaya, Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountain ranges that intersect in Pakistan –- are at risk of bursting and releasing millions of cubic metres of water and debris in just a few hours, like in Hassanabad.

At least 16 such glacial lake outburst floods linked to heatwaves have occurred this year already, compared with an average of five or six per year, the Pakistani government said earlier this week.

The devastation caused by such floods makes recovery for impacted communities an arduous task.

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