Hunza Valley Disaster

Lake expansion threatens thousands

in Hunza Valley

thousands who stand to lose their crops, their homes and maybe
even their lives.

A massive landslide early this year formed a natural dam in the

Hunza River, creating a lake that is consuming upstream villages,

as it expands. If the dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream

villages too. The landslide also has blocked the Karakoram Highway,

a vital trade link to China, cutting off 25,000 people in the Upper

Hunza Valley.

“Why can’t the government remove this debris to give an outlet to

the water? Doesn’t it have sufficient machinery to do away with it?”

asked Ajaz Ali, who has watched in frustration as the water slowly

submerges his village of Shishkat.

The landslide was large even by the standards of the mountainous

Hunza region, whose beauty is said to have inspired James Hilton’s

novel, Lost Horizon, a tale of the mythical paradise of Shangri-La.

At least 19 people perished as the debris obstructed nearly

2 kilometres of the once fast-flowing river and a longer stretch of

the highway, a popular high-altitude route for backpackers that cuts

through stunning, snow capped peaks.

Those stranded in Upper Hunza are relying on relief supplies ferried

in mainly by helicopter. Hundreds of people have been displaced,

and many are living in relief camps.

The turquoise lake formed by the landslide is more than 11 kilometers

long, around 215 feet deep and is rising up to 1.5 feet a day,

according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

At least one major bridge in thearea has been submerged.

Workers have removed more than 100,000 cubic meters of debris

in a continuing effort to create a spillway for the water to pour through.

Some officials said they hope the spillway will be open by mid-April.

Clearing the Karakoram Highway will have to wait until the dam is

breached and the water recedes, officials said. “It is tedious work,”

said NDMA Chairman lieutenant general (r) Farooq Ahmad Khan.

Authorities downplayed the possibility of a flood, saying the barrier is

unlikely to rupture, though the water may rise enough to overflow

it by June.

“It is of the utmost importance to monitor developments and have an

evacuation plan for communities downriver, and other emergency

assistance measures ready for immediate implementation should the

dam fail suddenly and quickly,” Kenneth Hewitt, a professor emeritus

in the geography and environmental studies department at Wilfrid Laurie r

University in Canada.

“My mother says that when they wake up the first thing they ask about is

the water level,” said Adil Gulmit, a 21-year-old from the Gojal area in the

north who is studying commerce in Lahore.

“My father told me that this year we will not be able to cultivate potatoes

because there’s no seed or fertilizer available,” he added, because

the area is cut off. The government said it has sent in tents, blankets,

jackets and tons of food.

“There are no shortages in the villages affected by the disaster,” said

Anwar Jamal, a magistrate supervising relief work. “We are transporting

200 bags of flour daily to the villages cut off by the calamity, beside

medicines and other items of daily use.” ap