“More machinery coming”, FWO

by Zulfiqar Ali Khan

HUNZA, Jan 31:  All resources were being utilised to create cut on the spillway point of the blockade in order to ensure the release of water from the lake formed on Hunza river, said Col. Naseem Hassan, Project Director, Frontier Works Organisation while briefing the media persons at the lake site. He said the engineers of FWO and CRBC have started excavations work on Jan 29 after completing the 600 meter access road.  He said the spillway point is about 82 meter high from the present level of water in the lake.

Lt Col (R) Khawaja Sohail Hafeez, DPR FWO said the concerned authorities are fully realising the problems of the local communities and no stone will be left unturned to reduce potential damages. He said that an exact timeframe could be given as many of the factors are beyond human control. The composition and nature of the debris and the weather condition could influence the pace of work, he added.

Lt. General Shahid Niaz, Engineer in Chief  Pakistan Army, and Major General Najeeb ullah Khan, DG FWO, are personally monitoring the daily progress of the work, the media was told.

Major Arshad ullah Baig, representative of FWO at the site said that about 5,000 cubic meters of the debris has been excavated with the help of available machineries. He said more machinery will reach soon and it could take about 45 days to release the water. He said the length of the area is about one kilometre and the volume of the debris is about one lak cubic meter. He said Ayeenabad could come under water if the water rising level remained the same. He said there is less chance of any flooding due to any sudden outburst.

Meanwhile, three more houses of Ghulam Baqir and Salahuddin submerged in the lake adding the total submerged houses to five. The FOCUS expert informed this scribe that the water rising level in the lake in Ayeenabad on Sunday remained 2.3 feet.