G-B taps satellite tech for glacier watch

As accelerated glacier retreat, catastrophic GLOFs, and shifting waterways threaten the fragile mountain communities of Gilgit-Baltistan, provincial policymakers are increasingly turning to satellite intelligence to mitigate impending climate disasters.

With the region's cryosphere melting at an unprecedented rate, the urgency of moving from manual ground monitoring to advanced geospatial tracking took center stage on Wednesday at the Second Regional Symposium on the "Space4Climate" initiative.

Organized by the Space Applications Center for Climate Sciences (SACCS) of the SUPARCO, the symposium sought to integrate indigenous space technologies into regional climate governance. "Addressing climate challenges requires practical action rather than dialogue alone," said Raja Nasir Ali Khan, GB's Minister for Forest, Wildlife, Parks and Environment, who served as the chief guest.