ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (ABC): Pakistan is installing 286 early warning systems across 24 vulnerable valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the $37 million GLOF-II project to strengthen preparedness against glacial lake outburst floods and other climate-related hazards.
According to a document available with Wealth Pakistan, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) is pursuing several initiatives focused on early warning systems, GLOF risk reduction and glacier preservation.
The GLOF-II project covers 24 vulnerable valleys, including 18 in Gilgit-Baltistan and six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The document puts the project’s total cost at $37 million.
The government also plans to operationalise the early warning systems installed under GLOF-II and hand them over to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
GLOF risk reduction mechanism strengthened
The government has also taken steps to strengthen the institutional framework for managing risks associated with glacial lake outburst floods.
The ministry established a Technical Committee on GLOF Risk Reduction in May 2026 to strengthen coordination and the institutional response to GLOF risks.
It also submitted a Regional Glaciers Preservation Initiative to the Prime Minister’s Office in August 2025.
According to the document, the initiative proposes scaling up adaptation finance and strengthening regional cooperation and data sharing.
It also calls for greater use of satellite monitoring and advanced sensors. Other proposed measures include expanding multi-hazard early warning systems and promoting nature-based and climate-resilient infrastructure.
More early warning systems planned
Apart from GLOF-II, the Sustainable Action for Ecosystem Restoration in Pakistan (SAFER) project covers five early warning systems.
Four of these systems are in Gilgit-Baltistan and one is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The document puts their cost at $1.86 million out of the SAFER project’s total cost of $10 million.
Another two early warning systems are covered under a project in Buner and Shangla districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project provides one system each for Buner and Shangla. Their combined cost stands at $0.45 million out of the project’s overall cost of $9 million.
Nationwide assessment of systems
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project includes an assessment of early warning systems already installed across Pakistan.
According to the document, the assessment component carries a cost of $1.4 million out of the NAP project’s total cost of $2.9 million.
The document also lists the UNDP-Tailored Intelligence for Actionable Early Warning System (TIAEWS) among the initiatives being pursued to strengthen climate-related early warning capacity.
Together, these initiatives cover the installation and assessment of early warning infrastructure, glacier monitoring and institutional coordination.
They also aim to strengthen Pakistan’s preparedness against GLOFs and other climate-related hazards, particularly in vulnerable mountainous areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
