HKH Countries Must Collaborate to Protect Two Billion Lives

News Desk

Islamabad: Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, stressed the urgent need for regional collaboration to address the severe risks posed by climate change in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Himalaya (HKH) region. 

Speaking at the ‘Policy Action Dialogue on Tackling Climate Change Impacts’ she highlighted that rapid glacial melting and floods in the HKH region threaten the livelihoods of nearly two billion people.

Romina emphasized that effective resilience-building measures and shared solutions are vital to tackling these common environmental, social and economic risks.

The HKH region, which spans Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, is vulnerable to climate impacts, including disruptions to water flows, energy supplies and agriculture, putting over 240 million people in the mountainous areas and 1.65 billion downstream at risk.

Dr Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, underscored the need for improved climate data access for vulnerable communities. Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, Chairman of NDMA, warned of accelerating glacial melt in Pakistan’s Indus River basin, noting significant snow cover loss and a 3 percent annual glacial melt rate. He called for regional cooperation to address the crisis.

Other officials, including Aisha Humera Chaudhry from the Ministry of Climate Change, stressed the importance of integrating cryospheric issues into Pakistan’s climate agenda. Ahmed Kamal from the Federal Flood Commission and Neelofur Hafeez from the Ministry of National Food Security emphasized interagency cooperation to combat the growing climate challenges.