Pakistan, July 5 -- The latest GLOF warning for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not the first, and it won't be the last. This week, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority told local administrations to brace for glacial lake outbursts as temperatures rise and monsoon rains hit. Villages in Chitral, Upper Dir, Swat and Kohistan are the first in harm's way. If a lake bursts, walls of water and debris can sweep away homes, bridges and farmland in minutes.

Pakistan is home to more than 7,000 glaciers, the largest concentration outside the polar regions. Over 7 million people live in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's mountainous north. About 800,000 live within 15 kilometres of a glacier. One recent study found that nearly 2 million Pakist...