Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
Traditional Knowledge and Local
Institutions Support Adaptation to Water-
Induced Hazards in Chitral, Pakistan
Aga Khan Rural Support Program, Chitral
Key messages
• Traditional water distribution and management practices have been the most effective strategy for efficient use of
limited water resources and reducing vulnerability to climate extremes.
• Social capital has been the most enabling factor for collective action in both traditional management of common
resources and acquiring services and development support from NGOs for strengthening adaptive capacity.
• Dependency on climate sensitive resources for livelihoods increases the vulnerability to climate variations unless
households have multiple sources of income to help diversify their livelihoods.
• Community responses to climate extremes need to be strengthened through development and implementation of
policies that strengthen or supplement adaptation practices.
• Provision of basic services like education, health, and physical infrastructure is instrumental in building resilience
among the community.
• Women are the most vulnerable segment of society and policies and programmes aimed at empowering women
need to be devised.
Introduction
Livelihoods and socio-cultural context – Chitral has a
population of about 385,000. Its 48,000 households
The study examined adaptations to flash floods or
have about 8 persons each on average. The overall
droughts among marginal farmers and herders in a
literacy rate is 59 – 77% for men, 40% for women
geographically, socially, and economically marginalised
(AKRSP 2007). The population has diverse ethnicity,
and isolated region – Chitral, District in the extreme
traditions, and customs due to past and present
northwest of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) of
migration from outside. About 90% of the population
Pakistan. The area is an interesting case because it has
engage in farming and 75% also get income from
always had ‘too little or too much water’ as a dry, water
off-farm sources. Population increases have led to
insecure area that suffers flash floods. The local people
fragmentation of land holdings, thereby increasing
are vulnerable economically and physically to water
cropping intensity and the vulnerability to water stresses
stresses and hazards.
(AKRSP 2007).
Extreme terrain and isolation make its inhabitants more
Dry rain shadow climate – Chitral is in the rain shadow
vulnerable. Chitral’s 14,850 sq.km (20% of NWFP)
of the Hindu-Kush and does not receive monsoon rains.
border on Afghanistan to the north and west, Gilgit-
The mean annual rainfall is about 650 mm in lower
Baltistan of Pakistan to the east, and the districts of
Chitral (Drosh) and 500 mm in the central valley. This
Dir and Swat to the south. The Chitral River and its
precipitation falls mainly in spring and winter. Summer
numerous tributaries have carved deep, convoluted
and autumn are dry, with 10-25 mm of rainfall per
valleys into the mountainous terrain. Chitral’s inhabitants
month. Further north into the rain shadow, in Upper
have very limited cultivatable land near their traditional
Chitral, the annual precipitation of 200 mm comes
settlements on old fluvio-glacial terraces or alluvial fans
mostly as snow at higher elevations. The only two routes
on the valley bottoms (Figure 3).
into the district are via the Lawari Pass (3,200 masl) in
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