River Basins

Indus

The Indus starts on the Tibetan Plateau before making its 3,200 km journey through China, India and Pakistan and merging into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi. A small proportion of the river basin is in Afghanistan. 

Indus map
Women and children in Jamshoro district of Sindh province, Pakistan, in September 2022, after floods forced them from their homes. The 2022 floods displaced nearly 8 million people across Pakistan. Article
gender

Lasting toll of multiple climate disasters on Pakistan’s women

More than six months on from the floods described as the worst in Pakistan’s history, experts say poverty, societal attitudes and gender norms have made it harder for women to cope with the impacts of climate change
Woman (Sherry Rehman) looking to the right Article
interview

Sherry Rehman: “It is high time Pakistan learns from its climate-induced challenges”

Men spray themselves with water from a large burst pipe in grassy river surroundings Opinion
infrastructure

Opinion: A new expressway threatens Karachi’s largest green space

A resort in Karimabad, in north Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan Opinion
tourism

Opinion: Ecotourism could be key to protecting Pakistan’s mountains

decoy ducks on a pond beneath snow capped mountains Article
wetlands

Hunting and militancy threaten wetland birds in conflict-hit northwest Pakistan

A distant view of the Salal village in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir Article
displacement

Residents reeling from construction projects in Jammu & Kashmir fear lithium mining

A group photograph of Heads of SAARC member states at the closing ceremony of the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu Opinion
water cooperation

Opinion: As SAARC withers, China gets a greater say in South Asian water diplomacy

Trans people affected by floods in Pakistan’s Balochistan province gather to receive aid from the non-profit Al-Khidmat Foundation in partnership with Unilever Pakistan Article
gender

Pakistan’s trans community battles climate catastrophe and exclusion

illustration showing line of plants going from mountains to pharmaceutical laboratory setting Article
biodiversity

What next for Jammu and Kashmir’s medicinal plants, as pharmaceutical companies move in?

overhead view of people standing over large water containers Article
groundwater

Engineers warn of ‘severe’ groundwater shortage in northwest Pakistan

The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is technically water-abundant, but soaring groundwater use combined with a lack of data, planning and infrastructure is depleting its resources
A recharge well in Kachnar Park, Islamabad, was the first of 50 new artificial groundwater recharge wells in the city to become functional, in June 2022 Article
water

Islamabad’s recharge wells offer way forward for Pakistan’s groundwater

Artificial groundwater recharge wells have shown early promise in Pakistan’s capital. Experts think they could help to replenish the city’s overstretched groundwater while managing urban flooding
A man holds out some seedlings, in the background a muddy field Article
Land rights

Lahore’s new city plan beset by legal challenges and flood worries

Two years after its inauguration, local farmers and activists dispute the legality of land acquisition for Pakistan’s new city megaproject along the Ravi River
Article
Climate disasters

Climate scientists explain Pakistan’s ‘unprecedented’ floods

Unlike the 2010 floods, this year’s disaster is a result of rain-triggered floods amplified by the La Niña weather pattern. As the link with climate change becomes clearer, Pakistan’s government is preparing to demand reparations at this year’s UN climate summit

group of people crossing flooded area Article
floods

Sindh still struggling with aftermath of floods, seven months on

King Cobra against a black background Article
conservation

Four projects changing the image of South Asia’s ‘unattractive’ wildlife

Article
Fisheries

Bycatch almost eradicated when Pakistan’s fishers embrace different methods

Natural-colour satellite photograph taken on November 1, 2022, showing a plume of smog curling from northeastern Pakistan to the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Article
health

Divided by borders, Lahore and Delhi are united in smog

Article
forests

Post-flood demand for firewood piles pressure on Pakistan’s forests

A man sits on a bench suspended in a metal cage used to traverse a river, a village and mountains in the background Opinion
rivers

Opinion: India raises the heat on the Indus Waters Treaty

a farmer inspects his damaged cotton field, during the monsoon season in Pakistan Article
Agriculture

Farmers who lost crops in Pakistan floods struggle without compensation

Article
Climate disasters

As Karachi sinks, residents fight for fair climate solutions

Article
Climate adaptation

Roundtable: After COP27, what’s the path to climate resilience for Pakistan?

Fishers pass along the dry side of the Indus River in Hyderabad, southern Pakistan, in September 2018 Article
climate resilience

Experts welcome ‘futuristic’ initiative to restore Indus River in Pakistan

Article
health

Dengue surges in waterlogged Pakistan in wake of floods

fires burning in hilly area Article
wildfires

Long-term impacts of ‘terrible’ fire season in Pakistan’s mountains

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