A lake formed by the recent glacial outburst in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district has reduced to 40 feet and poses no danger to nearby settlements, the regional government spokesperson said on Sunday.
A glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) refers to a rush of water from a glacial lake which could lead to severe flooding downstream. A Glof occurred on early Friday morning in the Talidas village of Gupis Valley, with at least 200 people being evacuated safely thanks to a shepherd’s warning.
“For now, there is no danger from the lake,” said a statement by GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq. The lake had earlier threatened the downstream areas of Ghizer, Gilgit and Diamer.
As the Glof wreaked havoc downstream, 330 households comprising over 3,000 individuals had become internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to the incident, according to Israruddin Israr, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s GB coordinator.
The number of IDPs in this incident is the second-largest since the 2010 Attabad disaster, Israr noted. The residents of Talidas had been shifted to a tent settlement, Faraq said yesterday, acknowledging that the early warning system was not active in Ghizer.
Relief operations were underway for the affected residents, with GB Chief Secretary Abrar Ahmed Mirza supervising the efforts on the site, Faraq said today.
The spokesperson further said that three shepherds who “saved 300 human lives” through their prompt alerts have been invited by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
“We have been told by the PM Secretariat to send the three shepherds to Islamabad. It seems that [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] will meet the shepherds and encourage them,” Faraq added.
One of them was Wasiyat Khan from Rawshan village, who was near the glacier and used his mobile phone to alert the community about the impending flood.
“It is also necessary to encourage Nasir, who saved about half a dozen human lives in Ghizer’s Daen [village]. Ali Ahmed, who saved the lives of about 50 volunteers in Gojal Valley’s Gulmit town, is also indispensable,” Faraq said.
Faraq told Dawn.com that the shepherds had to depart for Islamabad via flight today, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. Subsequently, they were set to travel to the federal capital by road.
GB CM Haji Gulbar Khan has also announced a cash reward for the shepherd who warned about the flood.
Locals complained that hundreds who had been rendered homeless after the Glof incident in Talidas were facing difficulties in accessing basic necessities.
In a statement, GB Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) Director General Zakir Hussain said standard operating procedures had been prepared for releasing water from the artificial lake while keeping the local population and infrastructure safe.
The “comprehensive” SOPs were prepared by a technical team that visited the site on August 23 in view of the potential hazards posed by the lake.
According to the administration, work on an alternative route for the temporary restoration of Gilgit-Shandur Road in the area was underway and traffic was expected to resume in the next 48 hours.
While the National Highway Authority (NHA) has mobilised heavy machinery for the route’s permanent restoration, it is subject to the stabilisation of the mud in the area, which is being continuously monitored.
Former GB chief minister Hafeezur Rehman, in a statement, has expressed reservations about the Glof-II project for early warning systems, installed by the United Nations Development Programme across GB for Rs10 billion.
He alleged these funds were misused and demanded an investigation into the system’s failure.
“This project was under the federal climate change ministry, and we had suggested involving the local community. However, these funds were misused,” Rehman claimed.
Noting that the installation of early warning systems in areas without electricity and other facilities was not feasible, the former CM suggested providing satellite phones to the locals. “It is a sustainable, low-cost, manual system that is more effective than the installation of billion-rupee equipment, he contended.
Another Glof alert amid fresh rain spell
Meanwhile, a fresh rain spell started in scattered areas across GB today, creating fear of more disasters among vulnerable communities of further Glofs.
According to the district administration, Astore Valley Road has been blocked after landslides. People in affected areas faced difficulties as roads, water channels, and irrigation channels remained disconnected at multiple locations.
The K2 road in Shigar, important roads in Ghanche, Chipursan Valley and Misgar Road in Hunza, and other flood-affected roads in Ghizer remained disconnected.
Affected people in flood-hit areas also faced issues with the drinking water supply systems, while agriculture and crops were badly affected due to the unavailability of irrigation water.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an alert about an increased risk of Glof, flash floods and landslides in vulnerable glaciated regions of GB and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It noted that a wet spell is likely to prevail from August 23 and can affect GB and KP. Scattered rain and thunderstorms, with isolated heavy falls, are expected in the two regions during this period.
The PMD advised the public to remain alert and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation.
The Gilgit-Shandur road and other link roads in Ghizer remained blocked, with people also facing challenges in accessing other areas.
With increasing Glof and cloudburst events in GB, people became more conscious, and fear prevails among residents.
Zulfiqar Ali, a Gilgit resident, is scared of even light rain. He said people have become uncertain as GB has never experienced such disasters before.
Additional input from Imtiaz Ali Taj