A lake formed by the recent glacial outburst in the Ghizer-Baltistan (GB) district has been reduced to 40 feet and does not represent a danger to nearby settlements, said the regional government spokesman.
An flood of the Glacial Lake (GLOF) refers to a wave of water from a glacial lake that could cause severe downstream floods. A Glof occurred on Friday morning in the town of Talidas de Gupis Valley, with at least 200 people safely evacuated thanks to the warning of a shepherd.
“For now, there is no danger of the lake,” said a statement from the GB Faizullah Faraq government spokesman. The lake had previously threatened the areas downstream of Ghizer, Gilgit and Diamer.
As Glof caused havoc downstream, 330 homes that include more than 3,000 people had become internally displaced persons (IDP) due to the incident, according to Israruddin Israr, GB coordinator of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission.
The number of internal displaced people in this incident is the second largest since the 2010 Attabad disaster, Israr said. Talidas residents had been transferred to a tent settlement, he said yesterday, recognizing that the early alert system was not active in Ghizer.
Help operations were underway for affected residents, with the main secretary of GB, open Ahmed Mirza, supervising the efforts on the site, Faraq said today.
The spokesman also said that three shepherds “saved 300 human lives” through their rapid alerts have been invited by the Secretariat of the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister’s Secretariat has told us to send the three shepherds to Islamabad. It seems that [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] He will meet with the shepherds and encourage them, ”added Faraq.
One of them was Wasiyat Khan by Rawshan Village, who was close to the glacier and used his mobile phone to alert the community about imminent flood.
“It is also necessary to encourage Nasir, who saved approximately half a dozen human lives in Daen de Ghizer [village]. Ali Ahmed, who saved the lives of about 50 volunteers in the city of Gojal Valley, is also indispensable.
The locals complained that hundreds of people who had been homeless after Glof incident in Talidas faced difficulties in accessing basic needs.
The former GB main minister, Hafeezur Rehman, in a statement, has expressed reservations on the GLOF-II project for early alert systems, installed by the United Nations Development Program in GB for RS10 billion. He claimed that these funds were misused and demanded investigation into the failure of the system.
Another Glof alert in the middle of a fresh rain spell
Meanwhile, a new rain spell began in dispersed areas in GB today, creating fear of more disasters among the vulnerable communities of other Glof.
According to district administration, Astore Valley Road has been blocked after landslides. People in the affected areas faced difficulties such as roads, water channels and irrigation channels remained disconnected from multiple locations.
The K2 road in Shigar, the important roads in Ghanche, the Chipursan Valley and the Misgar road in Hunza, and other roads affected by the floods in Ghizer remained disconnected.
The people affected in the areas affected by floods also faced problems with drinking water supply systems, while agriculture and crops were seriously affected due to the lack of availability of irrigation water.
The Department of Meteorology of Pakistan (PMD) has issued an alert about a higher risk of GLOF, sudden floods and landslides in vulnerable glacized regions of GB and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He pointed out that it is likely that a wet spell prevails from August 23 and can affect GB and KP. Dispersed rain and thunderstorms are expected, with isolated heavy falls, in the two regions during this period.
The PMD advised the public to remain alert and take the necessary measures to avoid any unpleasant situation.
The Gilgit-Shandur road and other link roads in Ghizer remained blocked, and people also faced challenges to access other areas.
With the increase in Glof and Cloudburst events in GB, people became more aware and fear prevails among residents.
Zulfiqar Ali, a resident of Gilgit, is afraid of even light rain. He said people have become uncertain since GB has never experienced such disasters before.
