- By: Muhammad Faisal
There was a time , after a particularly cold winter season, we would witness a beautiful spring in March in the northern areas. However, environmental disruption has altered everything we once knew . In January, we now observe butterflies, tree blooming , fresh flowers, notably the rise in temperature and no rain for almost two months.This shift in seasonal patterns has brought about a profound transformation in the natural landscape.
The once predictable rhythm of winter giving way to spring has been replaced by an unseasonably early burst of life in January. Butterflies gracefully flutter amidst blooming trees, casting a surreal charm over the surroundings. The air is infused with the fragrance of fresh flowers, marking a departure from the expected winter chill. Notably, the rise in temperature persists, and the absence of rain for nearly two months hints at a changing climate, challenging our traditional understanding of the seasonal cycle.
In the north of Pakistan, we have beautiful valleys like Chitral, Dir , Gilgit Baltistan ,Kaghan , Naram , Swat and many more. In December 3rd, 2023, according to the ‘World Tourism Barometer’ released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Pakistan achieved an impressive 92% recovery to pre-pandemic levels. The country witnessed an extraordinary 115% surge in foreign tourist arrivals, marking a resilient comeback post-Covid. With projections indicating international receipts reaching $1.3 billion by the year’s end, Pakistan emerges as a standout example of tourism resurgence, underscoring its considerable potential on the global stage. Furthermore, Lower Chitral saw a substantial influx of 591,330
tourists, whereas Upper Chitral welcomed 38,771 visitors throughout the year. The landscape of foreign tourist arrivals presented a varied scenario, with Lower Chitral taking the lead by hosting 1,624 international tourists.
As these tourist attractions generate money,what will happen to the people who are living there? As climate change is hitting the locals of these areas really badly. As we have seen footage of Shandur Lake which is turned into a complete desert. Locals are arguing that “as it didn’t snow enough we don’t have access to clean water and there is a huge chance of floods this summer”. Both locals of Chitral and Gilgit face the same issue , as the government generates money from these regions and does not return the favour.
Furthermore, a local influencer recently published a video on YouTube where he showed Chitral coldest region where it snowed every January and cover each and everything, but this year it didn’t snow and the local argus in the video that if this keeps up it will be a devastating and alarming situation for not only for the people in the north , it will also cause a lot of damage to the rest of Pakistan. The influencer showed that in January he is witnessing butterflies and green leaves in Chitral and it is not normal.
The climate disruption is caused by man, as in The north mafias are smuggling woods , cutting hundreds and thousands year old trees. The very thing which protects us , smugglers are now smuggling it and turning it into expensive furniture. There are videos available on the internet showing how these people do such things but our authorities are so blind that they can’t see or don’t want to see because of high pressure. Deforestation, Chloro fluoro carbon ,traffic , too much light, noise pollution , everything play a
role in this yet no one is doing anything. Mam is playing with nature and now mother nature is reshaping nature and if we don’t stop and still do what we are doing ,in the near future we would not see a happy clean earth , we would probably see much worse. Subsequently, we can now put pressure on the upcoming government to ensure certain things.First of all , deforestation, the illegal smuggling of old trees should be banned and there should be a really high punishment for those who does it, second the management of vehicles , Pakistan is one of those countries where you can drive anything you like , here we see really old cars that pollute air too much and the government should come up with plans. Moreover, there are so many suggestions but the upcoming government should keep in mind that disasters will come and it is their responsibility to protect the citizens of this country at any cost.