Experts warn of prolonged dry weather

Experts have called for creating awareness and sensitising people and policymakers to the impact of climate change as the federal capital can feel its impact through prolonged dry weather.

Speakers at a talk organised by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) on Tuesday stressed that dry climatic conditions in Islamabad could not be seen in isolation because of melting glaciers.

The event also displayed the internationally recognised documentary series "Voices from the Roof of the World (VRW)", highlighting the far-reaching impact of environmental change on local communities and even wildlife across Central and South Asia. The series covers documentaries belonging to the region around the Himalayas to Pamirs.

AKDN Pakistan Communications Director Laila Naz Taj underlined the need to protect glaciers for population of the entire region and not just Pakistan. "VRW's unique expression of local realities highlights the impact of climate change on the lives and cultures of vulnerable communities while narrating the story of a changing era," she added.

Taj said that those films were not distant warnings; they were reflections of the challenges visibly faced by the communities. AKDN operates in 33 countries, focusing on social projects in several sectors with climate change solutions.

She remarked, "We work with local community knowledge so that human development does not clash with the nature, and promote forestation, reforestation as well as use of clean energy based on local conditions."

The first AKDN project was launched in the current geographical area of Pakistan in 1905, when a school was established in Gwadar, Balochistan.

The new VRW season amplifies urgent climate narratives, focusing on air pollution, rising heat, glacier retreat, water scarcity and the resilience of communities confronting these challenges in the Third Pole, also known as the "Roof of the World".

This region's glaciers provide life-sustaining water to an estimated 1.6 billion people living downstream.

VRW Executive Producer Andrew Tkach said that the documentary series brings relief to the voiceless communities of mountains and the wildlife of these areas. Tkach, an eight-time Emmy Award winner, lauded the local young filmmakers and was helping them shape their ideas into impactful stories.

"In Season 4, we shed light on communities confronting melting glaciers and vanishing forests, and also more hopeful stories of saving falcons in Mongolia and reviving ancient water canals," he said, adding that these stories make one thing clear that the environment was changing faster than the response.