Gilgit Baltistan is bearing the burnt of climate change that goes far beyond just environmental degradation. Imagine having sleepless nights because the next flood could hit your home, or a sudden glacial lake outburst could wash away your property. While the melting glaciers, catastrophic floods, and shifting weather patterns make headlines, a less visible yet equally devastating consequence is the toll on mental health. Communities in fragile ecosystem like that of Gilgit Baltistan are grappling with anxiety, depression, and trauma. These mental health issues are results of repeated displacements, loss of livelihoods, and the constant specter of natural disasters they face. In a region with limited mental health infrastructure and social support systems, these challenges reveal an urgent dimension of climate change.

The Link Between Climate Change and Mental Health Issues in GB

Gilgit-Baltistan is home to some of the largest concentrations of glaciers outside the polar regions. The region’s location (Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Himalayan Mountain system), high seismic processes, steep slopes and a combination of a variety of glaciers, glacier lakes and high-pitched snow-covered peaks (Baig et al. 2020), make it prone to natural calamities disrupting livelihoods and fueling mental health issues. Anxiety, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder are among the major concerns. 

For instance, “On 17th July, Badswat and Bilhanz villages in Immit Valley of Ghizer Distrcit in Gilgit-Baltistan were hit by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), which led to the formation of an artificial lake. As a result, over 40 houses were damaged and road access for around 10 villages was blocked from the rest of the Immit Valley.”, (AKDN, 2018). It is not only a physical challenge but also a profound psychological stressor. Displacement and loss of homes force residents to confront uncertainty about their future, heightening anxiety and trauma. Additionally, the prolonged disruption of road access also deepens the sense of isolation, leaving communities cut off from essential services, including healthcare, exacerbating their psychological distress.

Communities live under the constant fear of catastrophe, with limited access to mental health services. As climate change intensifies, this hidden mental health crisis grows more severe, underscoring the vulnerability of both the environment and the people who depend on it.

Forced Displacement and Mental Well Being

After disasters hit home, agencies and the government are there to evacuate affectees to safer areas and provide them with food as well as non-food items. However, temporary shelters and no amount of aid equals the comfort of their lost homes pushing these communities into mental health issues. 

Relocation comes at a social cost. The residents want their homes, farms, and lands back. The sudden loss of homes and ancestral lands disconnects people from their roots, leading to a deep sense of identity loss and grief. Due to this absence of community support systems and limited resources, the affected people face uncertainty regarding their future causing mental illnesses that they don’t talk about fearing social stigma. 

Economic Insecurity as a Driver of Mental Stress

When climate related natural disasters hit rural areas in Gilgit Baltistan, it disrupts the primary source of income like agriculture and livestock leading to financial instability amplifying financial stress. The destruction of farmland, loss of livestock, and interruption of trade routes due to natural disasters leave families without reliable means to support themselves, compounding their stress and uncertainty. As these economic pressures grow, so does the emotional burden. Without adequate mental health services or economic safety nets, displaced and affected individuals are left to navigate both the financial and psychological fallout largely on their own.

Conclusion

In the May of 2024, Shisper glacier unleashed a massive outburst of flood in Hunza due to increase in temperature. It wiped away one of the main bridges on the Karakoram Highway, disconnecting the region from outside and disrupting the trade route. It was also the only way to bring food supplies and other necessities into the region. The Meteorological Department warns the localities situated near these waterbodies because unusual heat or rise in temperature can trigger these glaciers anytime. As a result, the residents live in a with the ever-present fear of glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, and flash floods, which can devastate their homes and livelihoods with little warning.