Climate change threatens traditional crafts

Extreme weather, rising costs push South Punjab artisans to the brink

MULTAN:

Along with crop losses, shrinking water resources, heatwaves and floods, climate change is aslo having an impact on traditional handicrafts and craftsmanship.

Across South Punjab, changing weather patterns are threatening centuries-old crafts and rural livelihoods.

Artisans engaged in pottery, reed weaving, date palm handicrafts, carpentry and quilt making say extreme heat, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and floods have disrupted production and reduced the availability of natural raw material.

Potters Ghulam Hussain and Imam Bakhash from Chak 34/WB in Vehari said rising temperatures caused clay to dry too quickly, resulting in cracks and higher production losses.

Sudden humidity during the monsoon also affects kiln firing, damaging finished products and increasing fuel consumption.

They added that younger generations are abandoning the craft in search of better-paying jobs abroad.

Reed artisans Bashir and Akram of Nawabpur village said wetlands and canal banks no longer produce sufficient quality reeds because of declining water levels and prolonged dry spells, forcing craftsmen to buy costly alternatives or leave the profession.

Women artisans in Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Layyah, who traditionally weave hand fans, baskets and decorative items from date palm leaves, reported that heat stress, pests and water shortage had damaged date palms, reducing the supply of quality leaves.

Carpenters Suhail Bhutta of Multan and Muhammad Hussain Pathan of Vehari said intense heat and fluctuating humidity altered timber moisture, causing shrinking, expansion and cracking.