Govt calls for integration of climate, glacier monitoring systems

Mettis Global reported that the federal government has asked national bodies dealing with climate, glaciers, early warnings, satellite data and disasters to link their systems. Officials argued for an automated sharing arrangement so departments would not need to submit formal requests to each other for data. Dr Musadik Malik, the federal climate minister, made the case while briefing a Senate committee chaired by Senator Sherry Rehman.

Malik said the Prime Minister had set up a committee under the Ministry of Defence to bring departments onto a shared platform, and a virtual platform has been built. Water and glacier matters sit with the Ministry of Water Resources, WAPDA monitors snowfall and glacier melt devices, early warnings fall to the Ministry of Defence, satellite data comes from SUPARCO, and NDMA handles disasters. The minister also said a new authority for civilian weather matters is planned, with proposals to go before the federal cabinet soon.

Officials told the committee that 115 glacial lakes were potentially dangerous, with 105 unfrozen as of August 5, while Karakoram glaciers shrank by about 12% over 1990 to 2020. Dr Malik added that glacier melt and flooding require different responses, and the government is looking at digital twinning to model these risks.