Author: Tanveer Ahmed

By Tanveer Ahmed GILGIT-BALTISTAN: The Gilgit-Baltistan Rural Support Program (GBRSP) and UNDP Pakistan have signed a $3.98 million agreement under the ECARE initiative to strengthen climate adaptation in the region, including early warning systems for floods, glacial lake outburst floods, and landslides. The MoU was signed at the UNDP Country Office in Islamabad by GBRSP General Manager Ashfaq Ahmed and UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative Dr. Samuel Rizk, in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Captain (R) Mushtaq Ahmed, Deputy Chief of Planning and Development Ali Jabbar, and other officials. The project is expected to directly benefit 3,000 people and…

By Tanveer Ahmed GILGIT: The Economic Transformation Initiative (ETI), supported by international funding, is set to bring a major agricultural revolution to Gilgit-Baltistan through targeted interventions including barren land reclamation, improved market access, farmer training, soil testing, and school-level agricultural awareness programs, Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (R) Yaar Muhammad Nasir said. Addressing participants after an ETI briefing, the Chief Minister highlighted that while arable land in the region is limited, converting barren land into cultivable areas could usher in a new era of agricultural development. He detailed a Rs 27 billion barren land reclamation project, a landmark initiative implemented jointly…

By Tanveer Ahmed GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GBEPA), in collaboration with Italian non-profit EvK2CNR, has officially handed over a state-of-the-art network of Automated Weather Stations (AWS) across Gilgit-Baltistan, strengthening climate monitoring in the region. The initiative was implemented under the Glaciers and Students project. EvK2CNR, with decades of expertise in high-altitude research across the Himalayas and Karakoram, including the renowned Pyramid Observatory, contributed to the installation and rigorous field validation of the stations. These AWS units provide real-time, systematic data on temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, and solar radiation, offering critical insights into one of the world’s most climate-sensitive…

By Tanveer Ahmed GILGIT: Plans were announced for a joint survey by the Pakistan Army and the Geological Survey Department in the earthquake-hit Chipursan Valley, following a meeting with local residents in Gilgit. Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Yar Muhammad and Commander of Force Command Northern Areas, Maj Gen Syed Imtiaz Gillani, had to cancel their scheduled visit to the valley due to bad weather. Representatives from their offices assured the local community of full governmental support. The survey aims to investigate the causes of mysterious underground explosions reported in the area. During the meeting, residents demanded urgent relief, including winterised prefabricated…

Tragic avalanche in Chitral claims nine lives, including four women, while heavy snowfall paralyzes life across KP, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan By Tanveer Ahmed CHITRAL/MALAKAND: Nine people, including four women and five men, were killed in severe snowfall with an avalanche in Chitral that also disrupted life across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Officials said the avalanche struck remote mountainous areas, highlighting the dangers posed by the heavy winter weather that has swept northern Pakistan in recent days. The Karakoram Highway was blocked in several locations in Chilas and Upper Kohistan due to snow and landslides. Hundreds of passengers and…