{"id":20065878,"date":"2021-02-17T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=65878"},"modified":"2021-02-18T00:38:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T19:08:37","slug":"pakistani-women-scale-the-heights-in-rescue-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/pakistani-women-scale-the-heights-in-rescue-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistani women scale the heights in rescue teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shamim Bano, a middle-school teacher, has recently returned from a fortnight in Kabul where she taught Afghan women to do search and rescue work. The training \u201cinvolved climbing mountains and gorges using ropes and harnesses, using ziplines and rappelling. Any wrong move and you can start a rock fall,” she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handling serious casualties, \u201cwith broken bones, head, neck and back injuries,” was also part of the training, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often men found it awkward to save purdah-observing women during a disaster, leaving them to die<\/blockquote>Shamim Bano<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a young girl Bano was disturbed by purdah coming in the way of rescue. “Often men found it awkward to save purdah-observing women during a disaster, leaving them to die,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, she seized the chance to become a search and rescue volunteer. A trainer herself, she continues to take part in a monthly drill to improve her skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CPR<\/div>
CPR training [image courtesy: AKAH-P]<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many dangers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bano lives in Pakistan\u2019s northernmost region of Gilgit-Baltistan, a place where three of the world\u2019s highest mountain ranges converge \u2013 the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram range, and the Himalayas. This includes 50 mountain peaks that overtop 7,000 metres, and five that exceed 8,000 metres, including K2, the world\u2019s second highest peak. Powerful mountain rivers, including the Hunza and the Gilgit slice through the region, and there are hundreds of glaciers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shimsal<\/div>
Shimsal glacier [image courtesy: AKAH-P]<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But the magnificent landscape is routinely disturbed by tremors, avalanches, landslides, and glacier lake outburst floods that can shake the lives of its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n