Is Pakistan Evolving, Revolving Or Dissolving

Chapter 8

The extreme climate

For the sake of clarification, I am no Climate activist, my knowledge of climate change is at the best minimal, and climate was never a considerable interest of mine.

However, coming from colder regions of the world, the climate in Pakistan is by far not the easiest to adapt to. This country stretches from the highest mountains in the world, K2, second highest peak after Mount Everest throw desert valleys all the way to the Indian ocean. And the variety of the weather that you experience here is very unique to say the least. Ancient glaciers that have been preserved due to high altitudes, where winters are unforgivingly cold and snowy, sure does not seem to relate to popular images of Pakistan, yet they do exist, and the melting spring ices, dissenting down the mountain rivers is what allows the desert oases to flourish and produce great amount of agriculture in province of Punjab. Within days travel the summer heat of the desert lands, can not be summed up easily. The heat is excruciating, some even say that they are the hottest places in the world. I have come to find out the definite meaning of heat wave. The burst of heat, while opening the oven doors, that hits your face with bursting humidity, would be the most basic way to compare what the heat wave truly feels like.

At the peak of the day, cities seem to fall asleep, anything that is alive is seeking shelter from the scorching afternoon sunlight. The idea of leaving the safety of the shade triggers a sense of anxiety and reconsideration of the sheer necessity of taking up any activity. At times I ask myself, what makes a person wanna live in an inhospitable environment. And as the climate is changing these places are only becoming hotter each year, the massive government campaign of planting 1 billion trees does sound promising, but the fact that trees take time to grow from seedlings, is also a factor that does promise change, but in the long run. So the climate is definitely hot, and listening to local people it has been getting hotter each year. Yet DHA (Defense Housing Authority) has recently had massive developments in Multan, cutting off millions of ancient mango trees, just to develop upscale residential communities in their place. Seems somewhat hypocritical if you think of it, considering that while the government is planting billions of trees to cool the climate, residential development is sort of moving in the opposite direction without having any objection to their actions.

Evolving, revolving or dissolving, like with many other aspects of this country, climate sure does imply a question. If a government is moving on a path of evolving, meaning moving forward at a slow pace for the better, while the private sector is dissolving at least some part of their progress, does the situation simply revolve in circles with no prospects for the better?

High levels of pollution cover the cities during winter months, due to the lack of everyday garbage disposal, all the plastic paper and other junk is burned within unoccupied land lots of the residential communities. The poor are using wood fire to heat their homes and cook their meals, while traffic obliviously produces huge amounts of pollution without a regard to any form of climate responsibility. One of the most surprising sicknesses that seem to be lingering all year round is allergies. Allergies that are treated with endless amounts of daily administered medication, yet seemingly unable to resolve at any given point of the year.