{"id":1192,"date":"2026-08-05T11:20:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.lossanddamageobservatory.org\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2026-08-05T11:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:34:47","slug":"reaching-the-unreachable-journeys-through-fragile-mountains-gendered-realities-and-climate-injustice-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.lossanddamageobservatory.org\/index.php\/2026\/08\/05\/reaching-the-unreachable-journeys-through-fragile-mountains-gendered-realities-and-climate-injustice-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Reaching the Unreachable: Journeys Through Fragile Mountains, Gendered Realities, and Climate-Injustice Landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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When I first heard about the Saleemul Huq Memorial Fellowship with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), it felt like a ray of hope. At the time, I was already engaged in research on the gendered dimensions of climate change, particularly in understanding how climate impacts are experienced differently across social groups and geographies. The fellowship seemed like an opportunity to deepen this work and move beyond the boundaries of my earlier assignments, allowing me to bring more nuance and grounded understanding from the regions I had been studying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My previous work had already involved examining the realities of gendered climate impacts, but I felt the need to go further, closer to the grassroots experiences that are often overlooked in policy and academic narratives. The fellowship offered exactly that space: room to look past the commonly studied economic indicators of vulnerability towards less visible dimensions such as emotional labour, social exclusion, cultural constraints, and everyday negotiations of power \u2014 social, cultural, and relational areas that are frequently under-researched yet deeply shape vulnerability and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the road through Gilgit-Baltistan, blocked highways, flood damage, and fragile infrastructure reveal the hidden costs of climate injustice. <\/em>Photo by Sohail Raza via https:\/\/www.pexels.com-27244349<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The research focused on two districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, viz., Hunza and Ghizer. Although Hunza is often recognised for its relatively high human development indicators, particularly women\u2019s educational attainment in Pakistan, and Ghizer shares similar strengths in terms of community resilience, these achievements do not automatically translate into equal decision-making power or control over resources. In both regions, women\u2019s participation in formal decision-making structures remains limited, and structural inequalities continue to influence access, voice, and agency at multiple levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this intention, I submitted my proposal with a strong desire to contribute research that not only documents climate impacts, but also captures the subtler, often unspoken realities of gendered experiences in mountainous communities. This step marked a continuation of my journey from observation to deeper critical inquiry, grounded in the everyday lives of the people I engage with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journey Through Uncertainty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I planned this trip from Islamabad, but the reality on the ground turned out to be very different from what I had imagined. Road conditions, unpredictable weather, and field realities made the journey extremely difficult, so I waited until April, when the floods, heavy rains, and snowfall had temporarily subsided. Eid fell during the same period, and as a mother of two, I could not leave my children behind, so we travelled together. In good weather, the journey from Islamabad to Gilgit takes around 10 to 12 hours. This time, the travel conditions were far from normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two major World Bank-funded dam projects are currently under construction along the route. For more than seven years, local communities and travellers have continued to suffer due to prolonged construction work, repeated road closures, and the absence of reliable alternative routes. Despite international commitments regarding social safeguarding standards, the realities experienced by people on the ground reflect serious gaps in planning and protection for affected communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to ongoing blasting and construction work, roads are often blocked for several hours at a time. We, too, became part of thousands of stranded travellers stuck on an extremely narrow road between the mountains and the river, with no possibility of movement or escape for hours. The situation highlighted how vulnerable travellers become in such remote conditions. If one is not fully prepared, even basic survival becomes difficult. Whatever food and water we had carried finished halfway through the journey, and we remained without proper food, drinking water, or toilet facilities for almost an entire day because the road remained blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Public frustration grows over repeated highway blockades on Karakoram Highway, Gilgit-Baltistan. Photo: SOST01<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the dam construction, the roads had already been severely damaged by recent floods. At times, floodwater covered sections of the road, making it impossible for passenger vehicles to cross safely. At several points, people had to wait for water levels to reduce or cross dangerous stretches with great difficulty. Women, children, older adults, and persons with health conditions were among the most affected during these delays and unsafe travel conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impacts of these prolonged road disruptions are not only physical, but also mental, financial, and social. Residents living along the route have been exposed to constant dust, noise, pollution, and uncertainty for years. Travel that was once routine has become exhausting, stressful, and unpredictable. Families miss social gatherings, students face interruptions in education, businesses suffer losses, and transport costs continue to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During winter, this route becomes the only lifeline connecting many mountainous communities to the rest of the country. Thousands of patients travel to larger cities such as Islamabad and Rawalpindi for medical treatment and specialised healthcare services that are unavailable locally. Delays caused by road closures and poor infrastructure create additional suffering for sick people, elderly passengers, pregnant women, and attendants travelling with patients. What should be a journey for treatment and care often becomes another layer of hardship and risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey revealed how mobility, access, and daily life in mountainous regions can quickly become fragile under the combined pressures of climate disasters, damaged infrastructure, and large-scale development projects that continue without adequate protection and consideration for affected populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Voices and Lived Realities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The areas and locations we selected in Ghizer appeared comparatively more stable; however, the situation in Hunza was far more difficult and emotionally challenging. This was not my first visit to these communities, and returning once again brought back memories of earlier interactions with affected families. The expressions and questions in people\u2019s eyes reflected exhaustion, uncertainty, and disappointment. During my first visit, only a few houses had been affected, and there was still some hope among communities that ongoing interventions and projects would help reduce future risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Families in Bubur\u2019s new relocation settlement. Photo: Kosar Bano<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the UNDP’s glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) risk-reduction project was operating in the area, my recent visit revealed increasing anger and trauma among local people. Despite significant funding, resources, and repeated interventions in the name of climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, many people felt that their homes, agricultural land, and livelihoods had not been adequately protected. Instead, more houses were damaged over time, deepening feelings of insecurity and mistrust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to local communities, particularly residents directly affected by floods and glacial hazards, resources allocated for protection measures were not utilised properly. Many people questioned the transparency and effectiveness of the implementation process. Community members repeatedly mentioned that funds intended for protective safety walls and infrastructure were either mismanaged or poorly executed. The retaining walls constructed by contractors were described as incomplete, weak, and below required standards. People feared that these structures would not withstand future floods or extreme weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Community meeting in Bubur on relocation and local concerns. Photo: Kosar Bano<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Women and girls, in particular, shared detailed observations regarding the poor execution of infrastructure projects. Their daily interaction with the environment and household responsibilities gave them a close understanding of local risks and practical needs. They highlighted how many interventions failed to consider community realities, safety concerns, mobility needs, and long-term sustainability. Their perspectives demonstrated that affected communities are not merely passive victims but possess important local knowledge that is often ignored during planning and implementation processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relocation Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Ghizer, particularly in Bubur, a newly constructed village for affected families had recently been inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. While the initiative was presented as a major achievement, local responses revealed a more complex reality. Many residents stated that the constructed houses became extremely hot during the summer and were uncomfortable to live in. In addition, the relocation site is situated far from the main village, creating social and security concerns, especially for women and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women expressed discomfort about living in isolated areas away from extended family networks, community support systems, and familiar surroundings. Concerns regarding mobility, safety, access to services, and social isolation were repeatedly raised during discussions. As a result, several families indicated that they preferred to continue living in the main village or move elsewhere rather than permanently settle in the newly constructed houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Settlement built for relocated families in Bubur. Photo: Kosar Bano<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These experiences highlighted an important gap between externally designed infrastructure solutions and the actual needs, priorities, and lived realities of local communities. While projects are often presented as successful interventions on paper, the experiences of affected people reveal deeper concerns regarding accountability, quality, participation, and long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge of Measuring the Unmeasurable<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a feminist researcher, one of the most difficult aspects of this experience was attempting to quantify what people themselves had already lost or forgotten over time. The impacts were not limited to visible damage such as broken roads or destroyed homes; they extended into everyday life in ways that are far less tangible and therefore harder to measure. Many community members struggled to fully articulate or calculate their losses, as the disruptions had become so prolonged and normalised that they were no longer seen as discrete events but as an ongoing condition of living. This made it even more complex to assess the true scale of harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A newly built Jamatkhana, the community’s religious and social gathering space, serving the Hassanabad community. Photo: Kosar Bano<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Losses related to time, mobility, dignity, emotional wellbeing, missed opportunities, and social disconnection often remained unspoken or unrecorded, even though they were deeply felt. In this sense, the inability to quantify these experiences did not reflect their absence, but rather highlighted the limitations of conventional assessment tools in capturing lived, gendered, and long-term forms of loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Gender-Responsive Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This journey, from engaging with the Saleemul Huq Fellowship to field realities across Gilgit, Hunza, and Ghizer, has strengthened my understanding of the complex and often uneven impacts of climate change, infrastructure development, and disaster risk reduction interventions in mountain regions. It has highlighted how large-scale projects, including World Bank-funded dam constructions and climate adaptation initiatives such as GLOF-related interventions, can unintentionally reproduce vulnerabilities when social safeguarding standards, participation, and accountability mechanisms are weak or inconsistently applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Researchers and professionals in a field discuss climate impacts. Photo: Kosar Bano<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These less visible losses remain largely unmeasured within conventional frameworks. Moving forward, there is a clear need for more participatory, gender-responsive, and context-sensitive approaches that centre local knowledge, particularly that of women and marginalised groups, in planning, implementation, and monitoring processes. Development and climate resilience efforts must go beyond infrastructure outputs to ensure quality, equity, and sustainability, while also recognising intangible and long-term forms of loss that shape everyday life in these fragile mountain environments.<\/p>\n\n\n

Author<\/span><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Kosar Bano is an international development practitioner and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Advisor with more than fifteen years of experience across gender equality, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and mountain and rural development. She has worked with community-based initiatives and international organisations and currently advises the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN). A Chevening scholar, she holds an MA in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. Her work spans research, policy advocacy, women’s empowerment, and capacity building; as a Saleemul Huq Memorial Fellow with IIED, she researches non-economic loss and damage in Gilgit-Baltistan. Know more about her here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The journey of Kosar Bano, a Saleemul Huq Fellow, through Gilgit, Hunza, and Ghizer shows how blocked roads, flood damage, and poorly built protection schemes deepen gendered vulnerability, and why climate and development work must count the unmeasured losses of time, dignity, and 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