THE PERCEPTION OF LOCAL COMMUNITY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS ON THEIR LIVES AT TEHSIL TIMERGARA, DISTRICT DIR (LOWER), KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PAKISTAN

This preliminary study was conducted in order to know the perception of local communities of tehsil Timergara, district Dir (Lower), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan towards climate change during September through November 2014. The study was aimed to identify the impacts of climatic changes on the lives of local people of the study area, based on the last few years or a decade or two. The study was conducted through administering a questionnaire to educated subjects while semi-structured interviews were conducted from illiterate ones. The local communities’ perception was assessed both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. All recruited respondents were of the opinion that climate change has visible changes in their lives. All the respondents pointed out a reasonable risk of climate change affected their lives and still continue. Their response demonstrated that change in climate is having an equitable risk to lives of Dirvis. The recruited subjects was more inclined towards the negativism (negative impacts of climate change) than positivism (positive impacts of climate change), as perceived by them. Mass awareness campaigns by government and environmental protection agencies is recommended in order to educate local communities regarding basic threats from climatic change through pollution. All those anthropogenic activities and sources that lead to trigger climatic changes, global warming, and greenhouse gases production should be addressed properly on priority basis.