ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s disaster management agency on Saturday warned of a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) through the first week of July in the country’s mountainous north as soaring temperatures accelerate snow and ice melt, urging authorities to prepare evacuations, monitor vulnerable areas and restrict travel near glaciers.
The alert comes as Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, faces increasingly erratic weather patterns marked by deadly floods, prolonged droughts, record-breaking heatwaves and accelerated glacier melt.
Home to more glaciers than any other country outside the polar regions, Pakistan is especially vulnerable to GLOFs, which are becoming more frequent as rising temperatures accelerate the melting of snow. Many glacial lakes remain unstable and can suddenly burst, unleashing destructive torrents of water, mud and debris downstream.
“The soaring temperatures across Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are expected to persist till the first week of July 2026,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in an alert.
“This significant warming will substantially accelerate snow and ice melt in the glaciated valleys of these regions,” it continued. “Consequently, water level in river streams of these valleys is likely to remain high, the existing glacial lakes may rapidly expand with an increase in their water levels, and now glacial lakes are likely to form due to high volume of melted water.”
The NDMA directed provincial and district authorities to undertake proactive monitoring and surveillance of vulnerable glacial lakes, conduct evacuation drills in at-risk communities and ensure rescue personnel and emergency equipment remain on standby.
The authority also advised local administrations to launch public awareness campaigns, urging residents to watch for sudden changes in stream color, unusual grinding sounds from moving rocks and rapidly rising water levels, all of which can indicate an impending GLOF event.
The NDMA also advised tourists to “avoid trekking in glacier-prone areas, refrain from taking pictures or videos near glaciers and strictly avoid going close to glacier sites to prevent any untoward eventuality.”
Pakistan has witnessed a series of extreme weather disasters in recent years, including the catastrophic 2022 floods that submerged a third of the country, killed more than 1,700 people and affected about 33 million people.
Officials say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the country, accelerating glacier melt while making rainfall patterns more unpredictable.
