Draining water: Decision on Attabad Lake tender soon
This was decided during a meeting between President Asif Zardari and army chief General Ashfaq Pervaz Kayani last week at the President House. The two discussed the 24km of Karakoram Highway which was submerged in the Attabad disaster.
The blockade has not only caused serious problems for locals, but also had badly disturbed trade between Pakistan and China for the last one and a half years.
After assessing the situation, the committee, which is also headed by General Kayani, will decide whether to award the tender to drain out water to Frontier Work Organization (FWO) or a foreign firm, particularly Chinese firms as the Chinese government has already expressed its willingness to execute the project.
Locals have already demanded that the federal government award the tender to a foreign firm as FWO has failed to excavate spillways to drain out water as it could not construct even a 10-foot long spillway during the last one and half year.
Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Speaker Wazir Baig, who is also the elected member from the same constituency, recently wrote a letter to the prime minister, requesting him to immediately devise a water drainage plan, preferably giving the tender to a foreign firm. He said the Chinese government is interested in working on the lake and could complete the job in quickly as it has required equipment and capacity to do so.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council recently approved Rs24 billion for draining the artificial lake and rebuilding the damaged road. The final approval of funds will be given by the Central Working Party in its next sitting. The funds will be used for roadwork including a 6km tunnel and a 100 foot deep spillway to release water.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2011.
It’s almost one year five months and 21 days expired since the disaster of Atabad lake and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) have totally failed to drain the water despite its claim to complete the task by the end of May 2011. What a terrible situation? The Gilgit-Baltistan government should seek approval of Pakistani high-ups to grant the task to Chinese Government, thus the task should be completed in a short span of time, otherwise the sufferings of the affected populace are increased day by day.
The progress of work on RCC bridge of Khizarabad village is very slow. The high-ups are requested to speed-up the pace of work on the bridge and truckable road up to Nasirabad RCC bridge.
Every body and the local government they are talking about KKH, Bridges and trade not any body is saying a single word about Shishket, Attabad Ayeenabad Gulmit . The trade mafia has rescheduled their heavy loans and nothing for the real affecting people of the disaster area . where are the NGOs what are they doing has they any plan for the people of the above areas. I am requesting the local media to visit the IDPs camp and see the shelters how can the whole family live in one shelter, and see the quality how can they live in it in the extreme hot and cold weather also the future of students of shisket the AKEs,p school is completely under water,. So please the local government and the NGOs look in this matter
baba, dar aayed duroosd aayed……….
Saya, think before you write anything or speak!
[Quote]: sufferings of affected populace are increased day by day.
We all must acknowledge that, the Government of Pakistan, Government of Gilgit Baltistan, Non-Governmental Organisations, Ismaili Councils including Aga Khan Development Network institutions and local communities are doing more than enough in their capacity to minimise the sufferings of the affected people. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) Gilgit has especially established a field office at Gulmit to assess the damages and solve the problems of affected people. This is a natural calamity and disaster and not man-made as you think or assume. The whole country including Gilgit-Baltistan were badly affected during the last year’s floods and torrential rains. So our concerns must be for the whole area and people and we must think for their betterment and don’t try to focus on a particular area or community. Lets pray to Almighty God to ease the tribulations and difficulties of our nation, presently going through a tough and hard time.
Dear RBS
By the way what do you mean by dar ayed durust ayad. or kitna wait karwana hai.
Dear Murtaza
You have to realize it that this is not naturally this is man made disaster due miss planning, FWO is not working with interest just killing the time . you are acknowledging the gb govt for their efforts can you tell me me what kind of efforts done by gb govt. secondly please visit the IDPs camp in shishket and gulmit and see the quality of the shelters can any body live with his under the thin tin roof these shelters are constructed by an NGO . The people of the the are went back to stone age. so dear Murtaza please visit the disaster areas and what problems are their in shelters.
Dear Murtaza
for your kind information the Attaabad Disaster is not a natural disaster you will ask how so see the answer ….
on January 4 2010 it was Natural Disaster but after it that became a man made disaster as pakistans Slowest organisation started working on it … the took 1 and half year to drain the spilway by 7 feet , …. Natural Disaster is one that took place in down parts of the country the flood within second and minutes destroyed the whole area but the situation with Atta abad is diffurent as it has taken one year to destroy every thing and if it is again given to FWO it will take more the 10 years to drain the spilway by 40 feets as looking on their speed of Work