Pakistan
Two days of blasting and expansion work leave little effect on Attabad spillway
PT Report
Hunza, June 23: FWO personnel have used dynamite to partially blast some boulders that were thought to be hindering erosion of the Hunza Lake spillway. The blasts have, however, not changed the situation significantly.
Water discharge through the spillway has risen to around 9000 Cusecs, stil 500 Cusecs lower than the water inflow.
Water level in the upstream valley kept rising due to relatively lower discharge through the spillway.
FWO has also moved an excavator to the spillway for taking part in the expansion exercise.
These are my comments of 15th June 2010 along with some addition.
Now it looks like that the lake will remain as it is. The water will keep on flowing as per the width of the spillway which will keep on widening slowly.
We should try to blast out a few big boulders, hindering the erosion and pressurized water should be thrown on the banks of the spillway with the help of motors to widen the path of the spillway. This water will remove the fine particles and will provide the solution in such a way that the inflow should be equal to the outflow. Even if the outflow increases as compare to inflow, it will reduce the level of lake comparatively; the local people should accept this lake and should be planning to live with it.
The main reason is that, the spillway is full of boulders and stones in a stretch of about 1.3 KM which can not be removed up to the depth of original level, not with flowing river water not with artificial means.
Please consider this option of using the available river water to widen the path of the spillway.
We must work until that time, to equalize the inflow and outflow, if we achieve that goal it will be good enough. Now after blasting the boulders we should go for the widening of the spillway by-using the pressurized water cannons as mentioned earlier. We only need motors to pump the water from the river and through it on the banks to remove the material and keep on widening until and unless, the goal is achieved.
FWO (Failed Working Organization) has no capacity to do something effectively. they couldn’t achieve their given target 30m of spillway in four month, stoped work very earlier on 13 May 2010 and overtopping start 29th May and till today they ware sleeping, this was just a game of NDMA Deal-way to FWO steal-way to distroy us upstream and downstream. they collased all GB economy and stopped all means of life in Hunza-Nager and GB. there are no development we can expect in future.
Dear all, please do not expect anyinng from FWO.
to me FWO mean just time pass
It is the same FWO who build KKH in that area which was never been accessible by motorized means. The actual culprit is the government which is not taking the situation seriously and not considering the livelihood of the area worth saving.
to shapunkash: yeah that’s why they have maintained the whole KKH with very limited resources for so many years, even they offered their lives to keep it running
and in this natural disaster, when govt did nothing and just lied and made the situation worst, it was FWO/Pak Army who helped the people of Hunza and did all what they could, and you are saying they are time pass, shame on you
Mr Raheel seem a pro and poor Government puppet if you don’t know the ground realities then you don’t have the right to comment blindly …… for your information the Builders of KKH are the Chinese Engineers not the sick workers of FWO …. the FWO workers are like Hungry Crocodiles which never bites but swallows the hunted.
Its shape speakes for itself, If someone travels from Pindi to Gilgit by road, really enjoys the sweet music and praises them when he disembarks from the vehicle. They are seen often seen asleep during the daylight while night is their own.
No further comments.
They are blasting the wrong boulders……
It’s a good initiatives, the credit goes to the local volunteers for their 2 days honorary work which forced administration to move ahead for mechanical interference.
FWO should work unless and until all the goals are achieved, after FWO has finished this expansion work there must be a discharge of at least 50,000 cusecs, as it is know and understood that the Ganish bridge and Indus water channel (from hunza to Besham) has the capacity to accommodate water discharge of more then 0.5 million.
Regards
yah really they did alot, in four months 14m/30m of thier given target, 4 villages submerged, 25 km of KKH, 7 RRC and three suspension bridges submerged. than how much they do….?
Raheel well said, I think you need to check the annual maintenance budget of KKH and secondly, the budget for Pak Army, you will get your answers
we know the performance of FWO every well, for example construction of spillway on Zilzal lake Chikar (which later flooded and destroyed houses, markets, cultivable and uncultivable lands)
Spillway on Attaabad Lake, where do to increase in water level 250 houses, 120 shops, thousands of kanal of cultivable and uncultivable land, fruit and non fruits trees etc submerged in teh lake.. Do you know this spillway was constructed to save the above mentioned assets????
Please i can give you hundreds of such examples… where FWO wasted huge amount of money for nothing. Which shows lack of ability and interest in work
@Raheel nothing has done by FWO ,in the previous times just theft and sale the oil of pak army ,this country has atomic power and shame on them they can not work on a sliding ,and put the lives of so many thousand peoples at risk ,shame on you about thinking so that they have done a lot ,it seems that you are part of them.
one of my friend Mr Musa around two months before were saying, “The target has been increased to 30 meter (100 ft) and work is in progress. In that case even Gulmit would not be affected, let alone Passu and Hussaini. ”
Is Gulmit affected or not, the water reached passu or not? How you were satisfied with FWO performance…? Would you reply….?
Musa-Peer says:
April 4, 2010 at 12:30 pm
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Dear Leeramat
For your information, let me tell you that 57 ft height of the laker barrier has been reduced so far. The target has been increased to 30 meter (100 ft) and work is in progress.
Instead of criticizing blindly, you should also recognize the fact that the maps you have drawn is flawed. It shows the impact area for height of 414 ft and not 354 ft (the current height). Lake water has increased to 250 ft already so the remaining height of the saddle is 104 ft at maximum. This means that if the intended height reduction of 100 ft (43 additional) is attained during the given date, the total height remaining would not be more than 60 feet. In that case even Gulmit would not be affected, let alone Passu and Hussaini.
Instead of mongering fear, as a son of the soil, you should tell the truth.
Musapeer
http://pamirtimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/03/another-video-on-attabad-disaster-and-gojal-lake-formation/
FWO left all the big boulders at the spillway…?
http://daveslandslideblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/attabad-so-why-hasnt-it-breached-yet.html
than what they did in four months and fifteen days……….28th Jan to 12th May 2010
Until the slabs in the streambed are removed or bypassed the lake level will remain close to where it is depending on inflow.
Based on what has been accomplished in the last six months, I now expect that those in charge will not properly understand the part the underwater slabs play in governing the lake level until low flow in the late Autumn possibly exposes the streambed — unless by a stroke of good fortune water cannons widen the channel to a point that the streambed slabs are bypassed.
Another possibility is that the inflow will raise the lake to a level that overflows the right bank and that the resultant erosion finds a bypass around the slabs. In that case, the lake will be some 6 metres higher with concomittant extra damage up and downstream.
Or an earthquake could dislodge the obstruction several years or a few hours from now.
seems like water cannons are good option where lake water can be used on its banks but aministration will wait for the earthquake option because its costless and less effort demanding.lolz….
@ Karim,
ye shoa senuma
I am of the view that this whole tragedy shows one thing: there is serious capcity problem in NDMA,FWO and NESPAK to understand the complexity of landlsides, landslide dams and the fall outs.
think about it: for more than 4 months,FOCUS was only organization telling everyone that this natural disaster is complex and has serious implications. FOCUS set-up the EWS,monitoring base etc while NDMA did nothing significant.
It is only after Gen Nadeem took over that NDMA has become vibrant organisation.
What will blasting of rocks do is a complex issue.In next few days based on historic data, the river flow will increase, water level will rise.
as a Pakistani,I request FOCUS to arrange International conference on Landslide risks in GB province. we should lear and build capacity. Please we need expertise.
Dear All,
—Once again after laps of two months-the comments of these political figures of GBL Council compelled to express my thoughts in the light of my technical know-how!
—As earlier agreed, with the comments of the Japanes Professors and providing all the required technical expertise, manpower and machinery available with OGDCL- to E &C branch but without any positive result.
—This time again I offer my services for the country and for my area from where I belong. I partially agree with the Finance Minister- being a non-technical personal and due to his short sighted he only cares of the area where he belongs. His thoughts very clearly show his deed! What about Gojal where four or five villages completely inundated and others are at risk
—-With the ordinary blasting materials I can reduce the level of water 25 to 30% with in two to three weeks. Here-once again I offer my services if the concern Govt. Institutions or NGO wants my services.
Baig Ali
Dy. Chief Engineer (Operations)-South
Islamabad.
0300-5125309
Dear Uncle we can understand how worried and sincere you are, I still remember you did share some simple and useful solution for this issue at the very beginning of this disaster …..but who will hear our vice who will stand by us who will join us during the struggle??????
I am extremely surprised when I look around the so called political leaders are sleeping in the House of Puppets of GB our own bureaucrats became blue eyes of Government the social activists kept silence like dumb the media left the place like now their is no chance of Big Bang or Intermission (mostly we watch in Bollywood movies) each and every sectors/area/part are badly hand coughed by the Military Bureaucracy which is a universal truth.
Now the question is shall we remain silent or sleep like a polar bear????
we have to wake up we all have to wake up!!!!!!
we have to help each other morally, financially, technically, and intellectually. I like the idea of Gojal Development Fund but this sort of activities must not be for a limited purpose …. we have to give backup for our Education sector, the current students must not need to suffer while studying in Schools, Colleges and Universities. If we ignore the youth of today then we will have to fight with the Talibanzzzz of tomorrow.
I know the innocent local are accepting the so called relief goods with open heart but the impact for longer period will be worse. We are trained to earn our own livelihood with our own hands, begging is curse for the courageous people of Gojal, but these sort of relief packages will destroy our habit we won’t live like a parasites………………………..
What i think we need a pure rehabilitation so we can earn our livelihoods with our own hands
When the FWO stopped working on the spillway, the water level was still about 30 feet below the rim where it over flowed on 29th May. I think the NDMA and FWO both were extra careful and fearful that if the dam broke it could be a disaster. Fortunately the dam didn’t break but unfortunately that 30 feet top over inundated so many villages and lives with them. We don’t have to increase the depth but widen the spill way water so the quantity increases and the lake falls to a level we call the Slabs which then need to be blasted for further depth. I think we wasted our time in concentrating just on the spill way, and not looking at the rim.
did anybody or any organization has surveyed the sliding mountain, its highly possible that the remaining uneven mass of the previous mountain fall again, though most of it has already fell down but who knows nature can be cruel again. It seems like everyone has put their concentration on spillway.
Agree with karim hunzai
Any latest pics of the mouth of the spillway after the blasts? What has happened? Did it help or not with the increase of outflow. We need to empty this lake as early as possible. Please respond. Pamir times please give us the latest update.