At the Bridge, Chitral
SuperPosition

CHITRAL, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN, September 28, 2015. A man sits against the stone abutment of a suspension bridge in the Hindu Kush. Prayer beads rest in his hands. Two months earlier, flash floods hit Chitral District in successive waves beginning the night of July 15. The floods washed away villages, roads, bridges, drinking water systems, and crops. At least 35 people were killed. More than 285,000 were affected. More than 10,000 livestock were lost. Pakistan holds more than 7,000 glaciers, the largest concentration outside the polar regions. More than 500 of them sit above Chitral. As temperatures rise, glacial lakes form and fail. Fifty-two have been classified as potentially dangerous. The bridge behind him is still standing. Sources: OCHA; PDMA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; FloodList; Columbia University Earth Institute.