Pakistan’s traditional water management practices are threatened by climate change and globalization

Pakistan’s traditional water management practices are threatened by climate change and globalization

In northern Pakistan, a landscape marked by snow-capped mountains and glaciers, indigenous customs of harvesting meltwater have long been a sustenance. The people of the Hunzakutz were once completely dependent on the land and its natural resources, and glacial meltwater was the main link between the community and the environment. These traditional ways of life are currently under threat from climate change and globalization, while rapidly changing gender roles are changing livelihoods in Hunza and other upper Indus Valley regions. However, there are signs that, despite the change in external forces, the indigenous traditions of the Hunza Kuz will prevail.

The chapter from the heart is titled Rajaki Zainab Khalid, published in volume New Himalayan Environmental Humanities, exploring the community-based approach to Hunzakutz water management. Khalid, an environmental scientist at Lanzhou University in China and a researcher at the Department of Development Studies at COMSATS University in Islamabad, Pakistan, has a personal connection to these glacial valleys—her maternal ancestors came from the Himalayan foothills of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, adjacent to the Hunza Valley.

Talking to GlacierHub about her fieldwork, Khalid said: “I have been working in the region since 2016 and my experience has been very good. The people are very friendly and welcoming, they do not feel alienated from foreign researchers and are willing to share them life and experience.”

The valley was originally inhabited by the Hunza people, who settled there and became a unique community through interaction with the indigenous Himalayan people. Indigenous knowledge about the land and local resources was at the heart of their community’s creation and remains deeply ingrained in their culture. However, while the Huns were once completely self-sufficient, they are now heavily dependent on goods from the rest of Pakistan and imports from China, posing the challenges of urbanization and globalization.

Water in the valley is supplied by glacial sources in the mountains, which feed streams and rivers throughout the region. Melt water is used to irrigate farmland to grow wheat, millet and vegetables, especially potatoes, as well as orchards of walnuts, almonds and apricots. The goats and yaks that people raise in the mountains also need water. The region’s rugged terrain means water is often hard to come by, so its management is critical to Hunzakutz’s livelihood.

Cashmere goat from Himachal Pradesh, India. Goat farming is one of the main types of animal husbandry in the Himalayas. CEDIT: Jerewiese/Flickr

The practice of communities building pipes to transport water from glaciers to their villages is known as rajaki. Villagers encourage each other to participate in rajaki because they believe it teaches people to relate to the environment and to see resources such as glaciers in a “commons” way. This belief in increasing the productivity of the land through cooperation and sharing of common resources is at the heart of rajaki’s success.

Pipes used to transport water from high-altitude glaciers to villages in the Hunza Valley.Credit: Zainab Khalid

One of the most dramatic shifts underway in the Hunza Valley is the gendering of practices and norms. Traditionally, rajaki have mostly involved men, as they were considered more suitable for the hard labor involved, but many young men are migrating to the big cities in search of paid work, leaving behind a dwindling population in the valleys. The increased pressure to maintain rajaki in the absence of these key figures has meant a significant increase in female participation. They began to take a leadership role in the construction and maintenance of rajaki, and play an increasingly important role in defending the longevity of this centuries-old practice.

Khalid has shown that the status of women is changing not only in rajaki, but in multiple aspects of Hunzakutz society. Women are increasingly becoming financial contributors outside the home workspace.This participation in the economic sphere is “One of the strongest evidences of the beginning of social transformation [in the Hunza valley],” Khalid said in one of her thesiss.

In addition, women in the region have long been more vulnerable to natural disasters such as glacial lake outburst flood, as they are often less educated and face barriers to accessing financial resources in times of crisis. Khalid’s interviews show that women are actively involved in disaster risk reduction and management decision-making, and they must be involved to reduce gender inequality. In interviews with Hunzakutz men, Khalid sensed a changing perception of women’s rights and responsibilities in society, although this still exists at the community level and has not been recognized in formal or government organizations.

Researcher Zainab Khalid (right) interviews a Hunza woman (left) at the door.Credit: Zainab Khalid

Although the valley is remote, China’s massive development of the New Silk Road, also known as the Karakoram Highway, will link the region with Europe and East Asia.This projectThis is part of China’s expansion of its global influence through the Belt and Road Initiative. It can be seen that the isolation of the Hunzakutz village is to protect its indigenous customs, but the growing connection to the outside world is eroding traditional cultures, including rajaki. “The China-Pakistan Corridor has brought many channels, [whereas] People have changed their livelihoods before very few people have been able to reach the area,” Khalid explained. Some have built guesthouses or hotels on their land to facilitate new tourists, and these people are less interested in participating in rajaki, Because they are abandoning agriculture to develop infrastructure. Khalid added: “[construction] It is unsafe because there are no building codes, there are all kinds of geological hazards, unstable slopes, active erosion, seismic activity. Nonetheless, the forces of globalization have significantly reduced poverty in the region, so this is another possible reason for the decline in rajaki participation in recent years, as people no longer depend on land for their livelihoods.

From her time spent researching Hunzakutz, Khalid believes that while rajaki is now more of an option than a necessity, “with ownership, it [rajaki] is their culture, that’s what makes them [the Hunzakutz] Unique. People have no other way to get water than glaciers, so they have to rely on them. “

The importance of glacial meltwater in this part of the world means that its governance is well-studied and the subject of numerous international organisations. Aditi Mukherji, Researcher New Delhi International Water Management Institute, explained to GlacierHub, “In the case of the Indus, glacial melt accounts for a significant portion of the river’s flow because it doesn’t receive as much monsoonal rainfall. [as basins further east, such as the Ganges. Therefore] Melting glaciers are critical to Pakistan. “

A large water storage tank connected by a pipe to the village.Credit: Zainab Khalid

In addition, climate change is changing the physical environment of the valley. Landslides caused by excessive rainfall are becoming more common. During Khalid’s summer 2019 visit, landslides damaged some water mains, and the community had to turn to water stored in large outdoor tanks, usually used for dishwashing and laundry. Flooding often disconnects waterways, necessitating more frequent monitoring, a concern when interest in maintaining the practice declines, coupled with an expected increase in severe flooding events, including Flood events from glacial lake eruptions.

“All the challenges overlap,” Khalid said when asked what she sees as the biggest threat to Hunzakutz. She added: “At the moment, government institutions are pretty underwhelming, so meeting these challenges is difficult and progress is slow. “When you go into the field, you find so many women involved in the community, which are making a difference and making a difference. Be proud of their achievements and you will feel positive about the changes that are taking place now. But from the government’s point of view, there is still a long way to go. One can only hope that the government will follow suit and realise the need to have women represented,” Khalid told GlacierHub.

Hamna Tariq is a Pakistani national and a graduate student at the school School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, shares her views on government with GlacierHub. According to Tariq, “the government’s mismanagement of water resources” has exacerbated the problem of inequitable distribution of resources among the provinces.

Hunzakutz’s life could become unsustainable if rajaki practices were abandoned. However, despite a huge cultural shift due to changing gender roles, globalization and climate change, some Hunza Kuz people are taking hold of their traditions and adapting their lives in a way that preserves their heritage. Narratives of the Anthropocene threatening indigenous communities seem all too common around the world. But a greater awareness of indigenous knowledge and customs essential to adapting to change may be the saviour of these peoples.