Climate vulnerability of irrigation systems in the Upper Indus Basin: insights from three Karakoram villages in northern Pakistan

ABSTRACT

The traditional irrigation systems in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are frequently disrupted by climate-induced hazards, affecting irrigated agriculture – one of the major livelihood sources in the region. The recent scholarship lacks systematic data on various aspects that make the mountain irrigation systems susceptible to climate variabilities. Therefore, we investigated the climate vulnerability of irrigations systems at selected sites of the UIB, using a tailored ‘multidimensional indices’ approach. The sites represented a cross-section of socio-hydrological and physiographic attributes. The data on multiple dimensions of vulnerability and corresponding indicators were acquired through household surveys, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed a ‘medium-high’ level of vulnerability of irrigation systems, which is a great concern, given the fragility of the mountainous ecosystems. Overall, the level of vulnerably didn’t vary across the sites, presumably due to physiographic and socio-cultural similarities, however, the various dimensions of vulnerability differed across the sites. The study concludes that appropriate adaptation measures are necessary to reduce the vulnerability of irrigation systems, especially by enhancing institutional resilience. This can be achieved by building capacities of local institutions and enhancing government’s financial, technical, and policy support for local communities in maintaining the traditional irrigation systems under the changing climatic conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Climate vulnerability
• irrigation
• water channels
• mountains
• glacial meltwater
• UIB

Acknowledgement

We thank all the participants of the household surveys and representatives of the Community-based Organizations for their cooperation and valuable input. We also thank the anonymous reviewer for their feedback and guidance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Global Programme Climate Change and Environment (GPCCE), through a Himalayan University Consortium – Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (HUC-IHCAP) Focus Grant administered by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Zafar Khan

Muhammad Zafar Khan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of environmental sciences with teaching and research experience in wildlife conservation, natural resource management and climate adaptation. He has been a Fulbright Postdoc Fellow at the University of Oregon, the USA and currently teaches in the Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan.

Haider Abbas

Haider Abbas is a research scholar in field of Environmental Sciences. He has recently completed his MS studies from the Karakoram International University Gilgit, Pakistan.

Abda Khalid

Dr. Abda Khalid, is an Assistant Professor of Development Studies in the Comsats University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan. She has done her PhD in Institutional Environment and Development Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway. Her research interests are gender and human security, development and resource management.