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Kalash Celebrates International Climate Day of Action, Oct 24,
2009
CAMAT [Chitral Association for Mountain Area Tourism] celebrated
International Climate Day of Action, on Oct 24, 2009 in the Kalash
valley of Rumbor, district Chitral with a philosophy of ‘think
globally, act locally’ in mind. The theme of the day was “The
Impacts of Global Warming on the Kalash Communities”. Kalash
ECOCLUB, school students, local leadership and woman
representatives participated.
The day was observed in about 170 countries around the world aimed
at awareness raising regarding the impacts of global warming on the
natural environment and ecology that has already cast negative
impacts on organisms living on the planet earth. The participants
felt proud in being part of the noble cause being celebrated around
the world on Oct 24.
In the meantime, they recorded their apprehension that the natural
environment of the Kalash valleys—Rumbor, Burmborate and Birir—is
certainly threatened due to climatic changes leading to longer
summers, short autumns and short winters characterized by
comparatively less snowfall and its early melting.
Mr Saifullah, the Kalash community leader and social activist,
discussed the significance of natural environment, forest belt and
alpine meadow for the traditional culture of the communities in the
valleys. It was pointed out that the population of goat—the
religious animal of Kalash—is declining over the years, largely
because of the shrinking forest belts, degrading alpine meadows and
disappearance of vegetative covers resultant of climatic changes
stemming from what we know ‘global warming’. In part, the session
raised concerns; the illegal trade by the timber mafia has done
great damages to the environment of the valley. It is worth noting
that during festival and funeral feast, as part of religious
obligation, the Kalash people kill goats ranging from 30 to 100
according the strength of goat raised within the family concerned.
Thus one of the core values of the Kalash culture that largely
depends on healthy biodiversity and intact ecology has been
potentially threatened because of global warming.
The frequency with which floods destroy cultivable lands, orchards,
irrigational channels and the Kalash cemeteries have never been
experienced in the past, which means ‘global warming’ has had
started tightening its relentless grip on the otherwise pristine
natural environment in the Kalash valleys as well as the entire
Hindukush region.
To reduce the negative impacts of global warming on the Kalash
valleys, the session passed the environmental-friendly agenda as
follows:
1. That government and NGOs in Chitral mandated with the protection
of environment and natural forest belt must focus on the degrading
environment conditions in the Kalash valleys. Afforestation need to
be redoubled to this end.
2. Tourists have to be sensitized towards the fragility of the
valleys, the spring, streams and nullahs there. Pollution of
non-biodegradable plastic bags have already had reduced the
productivity of cultivable lands. Here the responsibilities lie
with tour companies and guides, who have to make arrangement for
this.
3. The mafia involved in illegal smuggling of timbers from three
Kalash valleys, have to be strictly monitored by the law
enforcement agencies and forest department in particular at
different exit points.
4. Check dams need to be constructed in steep places where flooding
is likely to erode the landscape. Plantation in such places has to
be carried out on war footing.
5. Local communities have to be the real owner and guardian of
their resources. They should not look for the support of the
so-called departments. Rather their life is inalienably linked to
the valleys to where they are primary stakeholders and thus have
major responsibility to look after forests, pastures and alpine
meadows.
6. Last, but not least, the less developed regions e.g. Kalash
valleys, are quite neutral so far as carbon emission into the
atmosphere matters but they still bear the brunt of pollution
caused by the leading industrial cities at national and
international level. Thus, big industries should have it as their
moral responsibility to initiate green projects in places such as
the Kalash valleys so that damages to the natural environment would
be compensated.
At the end of the session, waste disposal campaign through the
participants of the meeting was undertaken.
Shams Uddin,
Chitral
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