Several areas in the Ghizer district of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) have been cut for five days, since the preparations are being prepared to clear the Gilgit-Shandur road, authorities said Tuesday.
Since the end of July, the monsoon rains have wreaked havoc throughout the country, especially in its northern regions such as GB, triggering mortal floods, landslides and displacements, particularly in vulnerable areas, poorly drained or densely populated.
According to the locals, most of the areas in the Ghizer district, including Gupis, Phander and Yasin Tehsils, remained stranded for five days since five kilometers of the main road of the region were submerged by an artificial lake formed in Raoshan’s village in Ghizer.
Local resident meraj Ali Shah said Dawn.com that 300 houses had been damaged by the glacial flood, with submerged houses due to the artificial lake in the villages of Hakis, Thangi and Raoshan, as they remained without basic needs.
He added that hundreds of people had been displaced when a flood of the Glacial Lake (Glof) swept everything in the Tildas village.
“They live without electricity, drinking water, adequate accommodation, medical facilities, [and] Other basic needs, ”he said.
The locals also complained about government lack of support, added that well -being organizations had depended on the elements of aid.
Two patients in critical condition were taken from Glpis to Gilgit on Monday through a helicopter that belongs to the AGA Khan development network, according to the Agency Agency Khan for Habitat.
According to the locals, the people affected in previous floods in Khalti, Daen, Chaturkhand, Yasin and other areas of Ghizer did not have access to roads, drinking water and other needs.
Since three weeks, the Karakoram highway in Hassanabad Hunza could not open, since it was blocked after a shishper glacier glof immersed a part of the road, which raised serious difficulties for Hassanabad residents. The Glof also damaged dozens of houses, farmland and private and government infrastructure of the area.
Residents in the Hiper Valley of the Nagar district have disconnected for a month, since the only accessible road was blocked due to the erosion of the river and landslides. The valleys Haramosh and Bagnd de Gilgil have also remained disconnected.
The locals said that the water supply systems to the areas populated by thousands of people, including Danyor, Sultanabad and Mohammadanad of Gilgit, have remained suspended, and added that they had to buy water cisterns daily, that the poor could not pay.
“During the last month, people in populated areas have faced a serious water scarcity,” said a local resident Shahzad Hussain.
In addition, according to the locals, crops and trees have dried due to the lack of availability of irrigation water supply systems.
A place, Muhammad Alam, told him Dawn.com That people affected by floods in the Mashabrum subdivision of the Ghanche district in Baltistan currently live in difficult circumstances. “Above the sixty households in the district of Ghanche, including the villages of Haldi and Balayagan displaced in the flood they have taken refuge in tents under the open sky and are waiting for government help.”
Unfortunately, said the locals, so far they have not taken concrete measures for their rehabilitation and repair of their problems, because the victims have been sunk in severe difficulties and deprivations. Without basic facilities, they say they are forced to spend their days and nights with homelessness and helplessness.
In addition, traumatized by high intensity floods also complain about mental health problems, demanding mental rehabilitation.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the GB government, people affected in recent floods, especially children, women and the elderly, suffer from mental and psychological problems.
In view of these challenges, a meeting was held under the presidency of Arif Tahseen, additional secretary, Department of Social Welfare, Welfare of the Population, Development of Women, Human Rights/Children and Youth Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan. Senior officials from several government and private institutions participated to formulate a coordinated strategy for the mental and psychological rehabilitation of victims.
At the meeting, it was agreed to work together to restore mental health among people from the affected areas in collaboration with the GB Health Department, the Aga Khan Health Service and the Rupani Foundation.
On this occasion, the additional secretary of Social Welfare Arif Tahseen said that recent floods have not only caused physical and economic devastation, but have also left deep emotional and psychological impacts on people and families, especially children, women and elders in the affected areas.
“To address these impacts, it is imperative that a joint and coordinated strategy that involves all relevant stakeholders of the public and private sectors immediately be launched to include this important aspect in the general process of disaster response,” he said.
The meeting discussed the improvement of mental health facilities, the provision of psychologists, community dissemination programs and the launch of awareness campaigns, and suggested practical measures.
All institutions expressed their determination to jointly fulfill this important national responsibility and agreed that a comprehensive plan would already guarantee the complete rehabilitation of the victims.
The general director of the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), General, Zakir Hussain, said in a statement that, due to the recent situation of rain and flooding, the machinery of the National Road Authority has mobilized to clear the Gilgit-Shandur road in the Raoshan area. He added that formal approval has also been obtained for the construction of an alternative route in a short period of time and work in it is quickly progressing.
“According to the project, a bypass will be built and the road will connect to the main road through a bridge,” he said, adding that this will relieve the movement and reduce the difficulties that people face.
“The Government is using all the resources available for the restoration of flood affected areas, and for this purpose, the work is being done in close coordination with the relevant institutions,” said Hussain. “We are with the affected people and we are trying to solve their problems immediately.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to arrive at GB on Wednesday to review the disastrous situation.
A GB Government statement said a high -level meeting was held to review the arrangements for the expected visit of the Prime Minister. The meeting, chaired by the main secretary of GB, Abara Ahmed Mirza, was informed about the damage caused by the situation of the flood and the steps taken for the rehabilitation of the affected areas. The meeting participants also discussed the current status of the early warning system.
It was decided that all relevant institutions will complete their preparations before the visit of the Prime Minister. Mirza directed that the rehabilitation work in the affected areas accelerated, adding that all institutions should coordinate in this regard.
