Pakistan

Glaciers in Pakistan are concentrated in the North of the country, in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountains, covering about 16,000 km². Pakistan’s northern glaciers and those throughout the region, are an important water store for 250 million people, and another 1.6 billion rely on rivers originating in the mountains. As glaciers retreat, water sources at the edge of glaciers have been impacted, reducing water available for irrigation. In response, communities have constructed new channels, but increased rainfall could cause landslides that damage them. Extreme rainfall and reducing freshwater streamflow have made it increasingly difficult for more than 100 million farmers to sustain their agricultural livelihood.