Local people respond to climate change conditions in creative ways through combining the traditional self-help basis efforts of responding to climate change effects with modern opportunities of funding and collaboration. Nadir Ajab, and his extended family members live in a village in upper Chitral with farm lands along a mountain slope that makes eastern border of the village. Nadir and his clan people have the sense that the village site is prone to flush floods due to extended catchment area of slope land and mountain above the village.
Though they have not experienced any major flood in their life time, they have always been sensitive to the dry stream gorge running from the slope and opening into their lands and homes. Traditionally, they have been responding to the risk of flush flood by baring the village goats and sheep from grazing along the slope, and resisting any land development activities in the slope by village people.
With the advent of NGOs in Chitral working on climate change responses, Nadir and his clan people approached them with request of funding for check dams along the slope, and protection wall to make way out for the dry stream that might flow over to their houses and lands during torrential rains. On equal share basis of 50% funding from a local NGO and contributing labor work, Nadir clan people managed to build check dams miles up to the mountain slope along the expected water cutting ways, and constructed protection wall to make safe way for any unexpected flush flood.
Catchment area above the slope also consists of a baren plateau owned by a prince from former ruling family. In 2021 it made a breaking news in the village that a wealthy American Chitrali man has planned to purchase the plateau and part of the mountain slope along the village. Village people resisted the plan by denying access road to the plateau. They feared of losing part of their already scarce irrigation water source to their new wealthy neighbour, having capacity to dig water channel from village water source.
Nadir and his clan people, on the other hand, creatively managed the conflict through offering free access to the new owner using, and demanded to manage irrigation water from other sources instead of using stream water that feeds the village. Instead of confrontation with the new owner they embraced him as their immediate neighbor, and presented the flush flood as their common future risk in face of changing raining pattern. They agreed on plantation along the slope, irrigated by water, pulled up from river through solar pump.
Local people therefore, respond to changing climate conditions in creative ways through compromising on traditional right over land, and negotiating with changed realities. At the same time, they managed the concern of village people of losing right of water and also sustained the opportunity of making a strong neighborhood through embracing a rich neighbor to face future disaster risks induced by changing climate conditions. In accepting the changing social landscape, they also invoke religious authority of Imam, instructing to cooperate with foreign Ismailis who want invest in the development of Chitral.
