CPEC — unforeseen consequences

Whilst there is no doubt that in the long term the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a real game changer for Pakistan there are consequences that are being seen as less positive. The Hazara Expressway is 110kms long and links Hasan Abdal in Punjab with the towns that dot the Karakoram Highway (KKH) all the way to Thakot. The KKH has been in need of upgrading for years and CPEC is the obvious means by which that may be achieved, but not everybody is happy about the consequences of this vast civil engineering project. Construction has been halted by the residents of Battagram and Abbottabad. They are protesting that there is damage to the environment, and are citing a rise in the mean temperatures which have risen to 40⁰C as against a pre-work average for this time of the year of 30⁰C. The change is being attributed to the felling of thousands of trees and the use of heavy machinery — claims that are difficult to establish a scientific basis for but are firmly embedded in the minds of local populations.

Credible these claims are or not, it is undeniable that the new road is having a significant environmental impact. A tribal jirga has given until July 5^th for their demands to be met, and if they are not then work beyond Battagram will be blocked. Local people are adamant that they are not opposed to the construction of the road per se, but they feel compensation has been insufficient and the environmental impact poorly assessed. Up to 5,000 families are going to have to relocate from 120 villages. The Forest Department says that over 27,000 trees have been felled with another 50,000 to follow. The K-P Environment Protection Agency has not seen it fit to share the results of the Impact Assessment it made in 2013. In environmental terms, the region has fragile ecosystems and is vulnerable to climate change. The Hindu Kush generally is suffering as the result of climate change. Change for the better by all means, but not at the expense of treasures we can ill-afford to lose — and are irreplaceable.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2017.

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