Is the Climate in Margalla Hills Deteriorating?

With a population of 1.5 million, Islamabad is not only the capital but also the tenth-largest city in Pakistan. Located near the northernmost tip of the Pothowar Plateau, which is widely considered to be one of the earliest places of human habitation in Asia, is Islamabad, the new capital of Pakistan. Margalla Hills is another wonderful area of Islamabad offering a serene view. It does offer an escape to beautiful nature. The question is, “Is climate change affecting Margalla Hills too?”

To Visit Margalla Hills is like visiting true nature but not anymore. It has been noticed by a lot of people visiting Monal and areas like Margalla that the climate over there is not the same anymore. People from Islamabad used to visit these places for spending a good time in nature apart from the polluted environment.  But as the Earth warms, mountainous regions throughout the globe may become more dangerous to the people who live nearby, and their rapid development may introduce new environmental hazards.

This is because of the changing weather conditions where Pakistan does top the list of emitting CO2. Firstly, communities and cultures in the mountains are vulnerable to the effects of global warming. As grazing lands decrease and water scarcity increases, ancient farming practices like transhumance, in which animals are moved from one grazing pasture to another according to the seasons, are becoming extinct.

Also due to an increase in tourism, mining, urbanization, and industrial logging the hilly areas of Islamabad have been affected. There has not been enough attention paid to the study of, or appreciation for, mountain heritage landscapes or indigenous cultures and knowledge. But there must be put a stop to these factors harming the hills.

It has also been studied that mountains should be regarded and protected as integrated biophysical and socioecological systems in which both human and physical landscapes are significant. This may help protect these ecosystems from future change.

Let us put our hands together in protecting the mountains of Margalla Hills and keep them revived for our tourists and also for hiking purposes living in Islamabad.