People of Gojal demand urgent action for releasing water from disaster lake
by Ghulam Nasir
GILGIT, January 19: People of Gojal living in Gilgit city have criticized the government for delaying work on releasing water from the lake formed on Hunza river.
Addressing a press conference at a local hotel here in Gilgit the speakers said that the government is only offering lip service to the people of Ayeen Abad, Shishkat and Gulmit, the three villages endangered by the fast expanding lake.
“It is unfortunate that our representatives are silent about their future strategy or just giving vague statements about the lake’s fate”, another speaker said.
According to a press release handed over to the journalists parts of the Ayeen Abad village have already submerged in the lake.
“We demand that the government shall not waste time and break the dam one 
way or the other”, another speaker said.
The speakers also feared that soon the farming season would start in Gojal valley and if the road is not opened till then, availability of seeds, fertilizers and fuel for farming purpose would be a major issue. “It would destroy our economy”, said a speaker.
Around fifty residents of Gojal based in Gilgit city participated in the press conference, addressed by Ali Qurban, Muhammad Aslam, Salman Udin, Sajjad Ahmed and Ali Anwer.
Qurban sab I appreciate your effort to active the elite and youth in Gilgit and I hope we all from Gojal will play there role to save and help the region, I hope Gojali in Islamabad will also wake up and many living in Karachi also
The effort from Pamir Times is always wonderful thanks all the team work there.
Amin ,Tokyo Japan,
I am younus Bahadur Yasin Thoi (Yasin Youth Representative) i do appreciate the press confrence done by the people of Gojal residing in gilgit. in this trouble the people yasin are with you. we are ready for your help at any cost.we are collecting fund and food for the effectees that will be send to you soon. and we demad from political leaders to release water as soon as possible from the lake. Younus Bahadur
I appriciate Gilgit based Gojali community for organizing a meeting of civil society members in Gilgit and demanded concreate actions by the Government to ensure smooth release of the lake.
After 16 days of river blocadge with over 600 cusec discharge, no physical action has taken place to mitigate the potential threat from the lake to the settlements upstream Hunza River. Due to upstream water flow, Ayeenabad village has lost part of the farm land with fruit and forest tress -livelihood means of small farmers.
According to today’s Dawn News 80 households of the first village of Gojal have been shifted to safer locations and the water in the village is rising at 1 meter per 24 hour. This indicates incremental distuction of more houses, land and livelihoods of small farmers and displacement of people.
Prevention of these losses is linked with the smooth outflow of water from the lake but it needs political will, technical experties and timely action which has yet to be demonstarted by the G-B government to save thousands of small farmers to become IDPs.
Darjat
Appreciable effort has been made to highlight the severity of the situation in Hunza through the national media. We all need to take such step at different levels and places. Thanks for initiating.
A great job has done by Mr. Ali Qurban and his team.And we expect from our government to release the water as soon as possible.
It is the political rights of any citizen to protest, express their view for their safer life within the country.
I appreciate the social activists from Gojal residing in Gilgit played their significance political way of demand to the national and international level. It is divesting and painful incident for the Gojalis because now a days the valley is cut off from all access of facilities, people are in trouble but unfortunately the federal government is just a viewers of the situation, 17 days has passed the government did not take any serious step to release this blockade water. Local government administration in Ghulmit, Gojal are selling the relief fuel to the transporter in 90 rupees per liter. No any relief have given by the government for the effected IDPs of Gojal while in the electronic Medias (PTV) are given n unrealistic information, no relief for Gojal given by the government of Pakistan except helicopter service form Gojal to Hunza.
Lack of political well in our (political leaders) are failed to resolve this crisis by the federal government or international community.
Now it is the responsibility of Gojal, Hunza youth to protest in their relevant cities, town untill the release the of water.