GILGIT / LAHORE: Hundreds of travellers and tourists were stranded in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) on Wendesday after a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) swept away part of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), while authorities in Punjab ordered communities along the Sutlej River to evacuate amid forecasts of heavy monsoon rains and floods.
In Gulmit, Gojal, Hunza, a powerful torrent surged through the Juchar nullah on Tuesday evening, triggered by accelerated glacier melt.
The floodwaters destroyed a women-owned restaurant, a government tourist facilitation centre, orchards, farmland, and critical infrastructure including electricity and internet poles, according to Rescue 1122 officials.
A bridge and sections of the KKH were swept away, leaving no alternative route for locals and tourists travelling to and from China via the Khunjerab Pass.
“Never experienced such intensity of floods in the nullah,” Saeed Jan, a local resident, told Dawn.
The destruction of a fibre optic line has left the area without mobile and internet services, while rising water in the Khunjerab River damaged a power transmission line near Sost, plunging communities into darkness.
Efforts to reopen the highway have been repeatedly hampered by rising water levels and mudflows, with even foot crossings for patients and travellers now deemed impossible.
In Hunza’s Hassanabad, erosion linked to outburst flooding from the Shishper glacier continued on Wednesday, dismantling two more houses and putting others at risk.
Power to Roshanabad Mohallah was cut after an electricity pole collapsed. With a section of the KKH already washed away, traffic is being diverted through the Sas valley in Nagar.
Flash floods also struck Shigar district, damaging homes and property in Dogoro village of Basha, while a glof in the Horchas nullah damaged crops and blocked the road leading to K2, according to local officials.
Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan government, said rehabilitation work is underway across affected areas, but warned that climate change-induced disasters “have changed the map of Gilgit-Baltistan”, with high river flows, erosion, and landslides complicating repairs.
“Passengers and vehicles are waiting for the road to be restored on both sides of the KKH,” he said, adding that the chief minister has ordered efforts to be expedited in Shigar, Ghizer, Hunza, Gilgit, Astore, Diamer, and other districts.
Evacuations in Kasur
Meanwhile, in Punjab, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has ordered the immediate evacuation of people living along the banks of the Sutlej River in Kasur district, warning of significant flooding as a powerful monsoon spell approaches.
The flow of the Sutlej is expected to increase next week, coinciding with the seventh and strongest spell of monsoon rains this season, which has already been linked to 164 deaths across Punjab.
“There is a possibility of further increase in the flow of the Sutlej River next week, and citizens are requested to immediately move to safer places,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said, during his emergency visit to Kasur.
The PDMA director convened a high-level meeting at the deputy commissioner’s office in Kasur to address the potential flood situation.
Officials are racing to clear storm drains and reinforce embankments, with the upcoming monsoon forecast to bring intense rainfall from August 13-17 in upper Punjab, followed by extended downpours in other areas from August 18-21.
Major urban centres including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot face threats of urban flooding, while the PDMA has also warned of landslides in Murree and Galliyat.
The monsoon season has so far killed at least 164 people, 582 rain-related injuries, damaged 216 homes, and resulted in the loss of 121 livestock, according to recent data.
River monitoring stations show low-level flooding on the Indus River at Kalabagh, Tarbela, and Chashma, with Tarbela Dam currently at 96 per cent capacity.
Kasur Deputy Commissioner Imran Ali said comprehensive preparations have been made to handle a potential flood, with de-silting of drains underway, machinery available, and staff deployed. “Adequate arrangements have been completed to deal with the flood situation at all sensitive places,” he said.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2025