The largest glaciers in the world outside the Polar Regions are in the Himalayan Karakorum Hindukush mountain ranges in northern Pakistan. This region, the source of large river systems, plays an important role in global atmospheric circulation, biodiversity, water resources, and the hydrological cycle. People living in northern Pakistan are affected by numerous climate-related hazards, including floods, avalanches and landslides, all of which result in extensive human and material losses. Climate change will exacerbate some of these natural hazards and lead to significant impacts on the region’s development.
This project aims to reduce risks and vulnerabilities from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) and snow-melt flash floods in Northern Pakistan. The project’s main objectives are to develop the human and technical capacity of public institutions and vulnerable communities in Northern Pakistan to understand and address immediate GLOF risks. The approaches for accomplishing these goals include developing the capabilities of local level institutions (Agriculture, Livestock and Forest departments of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral) and federal level institutions (Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, Ministry of Environment and National Disaster Management Authority) to understand the nature and extent of GLOF risks in Pakistan, and their effects on human and economic development in all sectors; taking steps to improve risk mapping, early warning and disaster prevention planning; demonstrating an documenting GLOF risk management at the village and district levels, with the aim to provide an evidence base for replication and up-scaling in other communities.
Learn more
-
- See the UNDP’s photo essay of the project and the UNDP’s project page
- Video: A Journey through Glaciers from Pakistan GLOF Project
- International Herald Tribune: “Helping Mitigate the Risks of Outburst Floods”
| Project Component 1: Policy recommendations & institutional strengthening to prevent climate change induced GLOF events in northern Pakistan | US$ 100,000 |
| Project Component 2: Strengthening Knowledge and Information about GLOF risks in northern Pakistan | US$ 250,000 |
| Project Component 3: Demonstration of community-based GLOF risk management in vulnerable mountain valleys of northern Pakistan | US$ 2,790,000 |
| Project Component 4: Documentation, analysis and continued application of lessons learnt | US$ 100,000 |
| Project execution cost | US$ 360,000 |
| Total project cost | US$ 3,600,000 |
| Implementing Entity Project Cycle Management Fee | US$ 306,000 |
| Grant Amount | US$ 3,906,000 |
| Co-financing by Government of Pakistan | US$ 3,500,000 |
| Co-financing by UNDP | US$ 500,000 |
Project Documents
| Attachment | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Inception Report | 376 KB | |
| Mid-term evaluation report | DOCX | 2 MB |
| Final evaluation report | 4 MB | |
| PPR1 (for web) | XLS | 270 KB |
| PPR2 (for web) | XLSX | 165 KB |
| PPR3 (for web) | XLSX | 217 KB |
| Other project order | 453 KB |