In the remote highlands of northern Pakistan, the Ismail family once lived in harmony with the towering glaciers that crowned their village. They had deep ties to the land—an enduring connection forged through generations of farming, herding, and living in the shadows of the majestic mountains.
In 2022, however, a catastrophic glacier outburst flood (GLOF) ravaged their home, and with it, their way of life. The flood swept through their village, leaving them with nothing but the painful memories of a once-thriving existence.
Ismail, the sole breadwinner of the family, recalls the fateful day as if it were yesterday. “I was in the fields when the earth began to shake. By the time I got back to the house, the water was already at our doorstep. My wife and children were trapped inside. I had no choice but to grab them and run,” he said, his voice breaking with the weight of the loss. The family barely escaped with their lives, but their home, along with their crops, livestock, and belongings, were swept away by the torrent of water and debris.
This story was produced as part of the 2024 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews' Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security. It was first published in Dawn on November 12, 2024. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Banner image: Illustration of melting glaciers / Credit: Generative AI via Dawn.
Faisal Farooq
