When rivers slow, forests fall silent: IWT violation threatens living creatures in northern Pakistan
KOHISTAN (APP): At dawn at Dubair Valley in Lower Kohistan district, the air once carried the rustle of leaves and the distant call of wild goats leaping across rocky slopes amid water’s uncertainty following Indus Treaty Violations (IWT) violations by India since April last year.
The sheeps and goats’ flock look after by shepherds of the Pattan Kohistan comes to river Indus to quench their thirst and returns to the grazing lands sorrounded by thick forest of Dubair Valley.
“My family’s financial needs depend on goats and sheeps raring. The shepards of Kohistan largely concentrate on River Sindh water for their animals,” Rehmanullah, a resident of Dubair told APP.
“If water of River flow so does shine our business especially on arrival of Eidul Azha,” Rehman fearing negative effects on goats and sheeps population if IWT violations by India continued.
He said thousands of cattle growers, fishermen, timber dealers and farmers of Kohistan will be affected in case of reduced water flow of the Indus River.
On the other hands, environmental experts warned that uncertainty surrounding the IWT is no longer just a diplomatic problem rather it is becoming a human and ecological issue unfolding quietly across forests, orchards, livestock and mountain communities in northern Pakistan.
From olives to sacred figs, more than 20 of the region’s most common tree species now face mounting risk of survival due to IWT violations by India. These native trees of Azad Kashmir and KP woven into daily life as food, shade, and livelihood being largely depend on the steady flow of rivers are under heightening danger due to fascist Modi Govt illegal act.
“When water flow of rivers changes, everything changes,” says Gulzar Rehman, a former forest conservator in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while talking to APP. “These native trees are not just plants but they are part of an entire living system.”
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohistan and Swat valleys, peach and apple orchards stretch across hillsides, feeding families and local economies.
Pakistan produces tens of thousands of tonnes of peaches annually, most of it from northern and central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to it better climate and soil fertility.
But farmers and orchards growers in Kohistan, Swat and Azad Kashmir are beginning to worry due to violations of IWT by India, urging World Bank to step in and force Modi to reverse his unilateral and illegal decision.
“If the rivers weaken, the orchards weaken, and so doest increase malnutrition of mothers and stunting in children ” says Samad Khan, a peach grower of Barikot in Swat. “And when the orchards disappear, so does our income leading to poverty and unemployment in KP.”
Wild olive trees in millions scattered across hills of Malakand region of Khyber Pakthunkhwa, erstwhileFata Fata and Potohar region of Punjab also stand vulnerable of water uncertainty. These large number of trees represent not just biodiversity, but a growing source of edible oil and rural livelihoods.
The story doesn’t end with chances of disappearing trees, fruits orchards and livestock in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but reign of starvation and hunger likely if IWT violations continued by Hinduvata Indian regime.
The treaty’s violations have also endangered Kashmir markhor once thrived on vegetation nourished by glacial streams in upper Azad Kashmir. Conservationists now feared that reduced water flow of western rivers could shrink its habitat and possible extinction.
“Without smooth flow of river water, there is no wildlife viz a viz apiculture and ecological balance,” explains Dr. Mumtaz Malik, a former wildlife chief KP. “Water is the lifeline of Himalayan biodiversity and the above living creatures that play key role in food chain will be affected if IWT was hold in abyance for long.”
Azad Kashmir’s diverse terrain from subtropical forests to alpine meadows largely supports species like the snow leopard and Markhor, Himalayan brown bear, and musk deer are all depend on freshwater systems that sustain plants, life, and breeding cycles.
Even birds such as the Himalayan monal and Chukar partridge besides shaker eagle could see their habitats shrink if water sources decline in the region.
For communities living along riverbanks, the issue of IWT violations is a matter of high concern, urging World Bank to intervene by forcing India to reverse its decision.
Water irrigates wheat and rice fields, feeds livestock, and sustains daily life for millions of people in Pakistan. A reduction in flow doesn’t just threaten ecosystems but it affect food security, biodiversity, agriculture and ecological balance.
Professor Dr Shafiqur Rehman, an environmental expert, warned that the consequences of IWT violations could ripple negative negative effects on living creatures.
“Reduced river water means reign of drought, desertfication and drought means hunger, poverty, and mass migration.”
Pakistan is already among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and global warming. Additional stress on water systems could accelerate desertification, glaciers melt and disrupt fragile mountain ecosystems in Pakistan.
The treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has long been seen as a rare example of cooperation. Now, experts urged global institutions like the World Wide Fund for Nature and International Union for Conservation of Nature to pay closer attention to these environmental stakes.
“This is not just about politics,” says Dr. Mumtaz Malik. “It is about survival of humans life.”
Back in Dubair Valley, villagers said that river Sindh feeds their families and because of its water living creatures survive
They said if the rivers slow too much, the voice of living creatures in KP and Kashmir valleys may become silent than anyone expects.
