The Frontier Works Organization (FWO) has stopped excavation of a spillway on barrier of the lake formed in Hunza Valley as a result of the Attabad landslide disaster. The risk of spillover or outburst has increased exponentially, as the free board is reduced to 28 ft as a result of surging water level, with increase of the Hunza River inflow to around 2500 Cusecs.
Contingents of Pakistan Army have been mobilized to evacuate vulnerable communities living on both sides of the Hunza River in Gilgit and Hunza ? Nagar Districts.
According to information the Special Communications?Organization?of Pakistan Army has established an optic fiber link between Attabad and Karimabad to communicate the lake outburst or spillover information in real time.
It is pertinent to note here that Pakistan Army, FOCUS Pakistan and the District Administration of Hunza ? Nagar have jointly been monitoring the lake from a monitoring camp established by FOCUS in Attabad, Hunza.
Representatives of District Administration, FOCUS Pakistan and other organizations have been visiting the downstream villages to convince the people to leave their houses and shift to safer locations.
Tent villages have been established by the District Administrations, FOCUS Pakistan and Pakistan Red Crescent Society at different locations to accommodate the potential IDPs.
Pakistan Army will forcefully evict the vulnerable population if they don?t leave their houses in time because the threat of a flooding disaster seems to be approaching fast.
The water has entered the commercial areas of Gulmit. The people dismantling the buildings and moving their assets to safer locations. In Gulmit the lake submerge 120 shops. 38 houses, one community centre are in threat. The lake has also started submerging the low laying areas of Ghulkin and Hussaini villages.
According to the latest reports the length of the lake has increased to 18 kilometer with maximum depth of 334 feet. According to FOCUS about 25 feet of debris is still remaining for overtopping of the water.
According to information shared by the Deputy Commissioner of Hunza ? Nagar, the schools and colleges in the district would remain closed for indefinite period, in the wake of a looming flood disaster.
Many of the schools would be used to house IDPs in case of mass displacements due to potential flooding of the Hunza River after?over-topping?or outburst of the disaster born lake at Attabad that has caused three upstream villages to submerge completely or partially.
Over 20 kilometers of the KKH have so far been submerged by the lake water, including a?long strategic bridge.
