September 23, 2026
By Islam Gul Afridi
For Zakir Ahmad, the harvest of corn and beans from his one-acre plot will determine how his family manages food supplies through the winter.
But with unseasonal rains continuing in September, he fears that the crops may be damaged even before they can be harvested.
“The corn and beans are ready for harvest, but unexpected rain can destroy them,” says Ahmad. “If that happens, arranging food for the winter will become difficult because we depend on corn and wheat.”
Ahmad, who supports a family of 10, says floods and heavy rainfall have caused losses to his crops, livestock and house almost every year since 2010. Floodwaters, he adds, have brought stones and silt onto the farmland, reducing fertility and making it difficult to bring the land back for cultivation.
The effects of the changing climate are visible across the Kalash valleys. Large boulders lie in streams, old trees have fallen, roads have been damaged and several buildings have been reduced to ruins. The water supply and drainage systems have also suffered repeated damage.
For the Kalash community, the threat goes beyond agriculture and property. Its religious practices, festivals, food systems and social traditions are closely linked to the land, forests, livestock, water and changing seasons.
Rahmat, a local social worker, says the community had depended on farming, livestock and forests for centuries.
“The people of Kalash have a cultural and faith based relationship with nature,” he said. “If any of these systems is damaged by climate change, the effects will be felt directly in our traditional way of life, festivals and religious ceremonies.”
He recalls the floods of 2015, which caused extensive damage to farmland, orchards, houses, hotels, roads and bridges. Timely warnings helped prevent loss of life, he says, but the damage to infrastructure and livelihoods remained visible.
Tourism, another major source of income, has also been affected.
District officials says more than 50,000 tourists visited the valleys last year, but the number fell to around 35,000 this year.
Muhammad Haleem Khan, who has operated a hotel in the valley for around three decades, says a 24-room hotel, a hall and a kitchen on four-and-a-half kanals of land were swept away in the 2013 floods.
“Only stones and sand remain there now,” he says.
Khan says tourists previously visited the valley until October, but their arrival has now declined sharply after August because of the risk of floods, landslides and road closures.
He says melting glaciers and the formation of temporary lakes in the mountains could also trigger flooding when the water bodies burst.
“Floods damage buildings, farmland, roads, water supply and electricity infrastructure,” he said. “Construction is already difficult and expensive here because transporting materials to the valley costs a great deal.”
Local residents also blame deforestation for worsening the impact of floods.
Ahmad says the cutting of trees for permitted and personal use had left mountain slopes more exposed to erosion. As a result, soil, sand and debris were swept down into fields and residential areas during heavy rain.
“We demand that deforestation be stopped,” he says. “When there were more trees, floods and rainfall did not cause such extensive damage. When crops are destroyed, we are forced to travel to other areas in search of work.”
The impact on the community’s cultural practices is particularly concerning because local produce and livestock are central to Kalash religious life. Milk, cheese, goats, wheat, walnuts, grapes, pears, peaches and other seasonal produce are used during festivals and communal ceremonies.
The Chilam Joshi festival is associated with milk, flowers, walnuts and mulberries, while Uchaw is linked to summer pastures, livestock and harvests. The Chawmos festival also involves the slaughter of goats and the preparation of food for the community.
Livestock and agricultural produce are equally important during funerals, which are collective events involving relatives and members of the wider community. Families and neighbours contribute goats, cheese, ghee, flour and other food items for communal feasts.
Any disruption to farming, livestock, forests or water resources therefore threatens not only food security but also the material foundations of Kalash religious and cultural practices.
The community’s traditional knowledge, including its understanding of weather and astronomy known as Suri Jageik, has also been recognised as part of its cultural heritage. The Kalash community has called for urgent measures to protect its environment and preserve the traditions associated with it.
Residents say rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, floods, drought, changing water availability and pressure on natural resources were already affecting their daily lives and economic activities.
The district administration and the Kalash Valleys Development Authority were asked about measures being taken to address the damage caused by climate change. However, no clear response was provided.
Rahmat says immediate and comprehensive measures are needed to protect the Kalash valleys.
“Climate change is not only affecting our homes and livelihoods,” he says. “It may also threaten the continuity of a culture and a way of life that has survived for centuries.”