Mountain Might
Monday, 12 August 2024
Pakistan Urdu Science Board textbook defines earth surface “13000 feet above sea level as mountains. Areas that are 9840 feet above their surroundings are also mountainous.” Much more than travel, recreation and adventurous destinations, mountains are natural resource reservoirs that help to sustain life on the planet earth. Nature has blessed our country with rich mountain terrain.
Nowhere in the world is concentration of high mountains, peaks, glaciers, clean water lacks (full of trout and romantic legend attached to them) and passes except in Pakistan. Of the 14 over 8,000 meters high peaks on our earth planet, four occupy an amphitheatre at the head of Baltoro glacier in the Karakorum Range: K-2 (this year Pakistan is celebrating fiftieth anniversary when man first conquered the world’s second highest - 8,611 meters – peak half century ago), Gasherbrum-I (8,068 meters), Broad Peak (8,047 meters) and Gasherbrum-II (8,035 meters). There is yet another great mountain, Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters), located at the western side of the Himalayas. Moreover, there are 68 peaks over 7,000 meters and hundreds others over 6,000 meters in Pakistan.
Mountains are not only important for communities that live there but also for other people living thousands of miles away from them. Imagine how the River Indus saturates every thing from where it passes, starting from its base in mountains to the Arabian Sea, throughout the length of our county. Although mountains are standing as they were since million of years, but human activities all around are changing conditions in the mountains and natural resources are dwindling as a result.
The Hindu Kush-Himalayas are the largest storehouse of fresh water on earth. Now consider this: “Glaciers are melting as a result of global earth warming,” as noted by geologists. “Only in last century, half of the glaciers in Alps and 92 percent on Kenya Mount have vanished,” reads a report. No data is available but estimates are that Pakistani glaciers are also shrinking.
Mountains are natural fountains of water in another ways as well. Due to their height, mountains mass stop the circulating air and direct it to rise where it is converted into rain and snow producing clouds. The rain falls in plains and completes the water cycle whereas snow rests on mountains and at glaciers that give birth to rivers.
Environmental degradation that is resulting in serious changes at mountains and their surrounding areas is an international issue. It concerns every one in developing as well as developed world. Which is why every one including local communities, governments and international conservation bodies should join hands to make a difference before it is too late.
Nowhere in the world is concentration of high mountains, peaks, glaciers, clean water lacks (full of trout and romantic legend attached to them) and passes except in Pakistan. Of the 14 over 8,000 meters high peaks on our earth planet, four occupy an amphitheatre at the head of Baltoro glacier in the Karakorum Range: K-2 (this year Pakistan is celebrating fiftieth anniversary when man first conquered the world’s second highest - 8,611 meters – peak half century ago), Gasherbrum-I (8,068 meters), Broad Peak (8,047 meters) and Gasherbrum-II (8,035 meters). There is yet another great mountain, Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters), located at the western side of the Himalayas. Moreover, there are 68 peaks over 7,000 meters and hundreds others over 6,000 meters in Pakistan.
The Northern Pakistan has some of the longest glaciers outside Polar region like Siachen (72 kilometres famous as the highest battle field in the world military history), Hispar (61 kilometres), Biafo (60 kilometres), Baltoro (60 kilometres) and Batura (64 kilometres).
Mountains are not only important for communities that live there but also for other people living thousands of miles away from them. Imagine how the River Indus saturates every thing from where it passes, starting from its base in mountains to the Arabian Sea, throughout the length of our county. Although mountains are standing as they were since million of years, but human activities all around are changing conditions in the mountains and natural resources are dwindling as a result.
The Hindu Kush-Himalayas are the largest storehouse of fresh water on earth. Now consider this: “Glaciers are melting as a result of global earth warming,” as noted by geologists. “Only in last century, half of the glaciers in Alps and 92 percent on Kenya Mount have vanished,” reads a report. No data is available but estimates are that Pakistani glaciers are also shrinking.
Mountains are natural fountains of water in another ways as well. Due to their height, mountains mass stop the circulating air and direct it to rise where it is converted into rain and snow producing clouds. The rain falls in plains and completes the water cycle whereas snow rests on mountains and at glaciers that give birth to rivers.
Environmental degradation that is resulting in serious changes at mountains and their surrounding areas is an international issue. It concerns every one in developing as well as developed world. Which is why every one including local communities, governments and international conservation bodies should join hands to make a difference before it is too late.
posted by S A J Shirazi @ Monday, August 12, 2024,
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