Abstract:
Climate change is becoming a growing concern for the global population. Pakistan is
among the most vulnerable countries that is at risk of adverse climate change impacts. Since
the country hosts extensive glacial cover in the Himalayas-Karakoram-Hindukush
mountain systems which is also the source of all its rivers, climate change and its factors
become even more significant water resources. Pakistan has faced some of most devastating
weather induced disaster events in recent decades, costing heavy toll on the national
economy and social losses. Population growth, increasing water scarcity levels in both rural
and urban areas for domestic, commercial as well as agriculture consumers is stressing the
boundaries of meeting water demands across the country. understanding the factors of
climate change, its impacts on the weather system and hydrological systems both in the
long and short term is the only key to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change. It is
important to have a long and short-term hydrometeorological data to understand the water
resources availability and hydrological responses within highlands catchments in northern
Pakistan. Hydrometeorological data (temperature, rainfall, humidity, domestic and
irrigation uses, surface wind, thunderstorm, dust storm) now frequently being experienced
across the country in general and of the relevant stations within the study area. These factors
were analyzed to infer existing and future trends in seasonal and annual time scales. with
rising water demands, development and climate variability in the study area trend analysis
was applied for two different time periods, existing (1992 - 2020) and future prediction/
trends (2021 - 2049). The non-parametric Man-Kendall test was used to detect the nature
of trends in the hydrological variables. The analysis infer an increase in the temperature in
Risalpur while precipitation is generally decreasing.
