Pakistan

Save Pakistan from the catastrophe

by Fazal Amin Baig

The year 2010 witnessed a natural disaster, which did not indicate a good omen to the people of Pakistan, particularly to the dwellers of the Indus River and Gilgit-Baltistan, resulting in result of a dangerous battle between the nature and the humans. January 4, 2010 caused disaster at considerable scale when a heavy landslide in Central Hunza ruined the Ghareyat village (these days called as Atabad), blocked the Hunza River and cut off the Karakoram Highway for more than 1½ km. This catastrophe of the first phase took the lives of 19 people of Ghareyat, damaged 43 houses completely and displaced more than 1,500 people who now stay in the camps in Karimabad in Central Hunza.

Soon after the blockage of the Hunza River, the second phase of natural catastrophe started when the river began transforming into a natural lake in the upstream called Gojal valley — an international borders’ magistracy (spanning on more than 10,000 sq km) connecting Pakistan with China and Afghanistan.

This phenomenon takes us back to when in 1858 the Hunza River blocked almost at the same place due to the landslide. A natural dam had emerged, submerging the upstream settlements such as half of Gulmit (the winter capital of the former principality), a significant portion of Ghulkin, Sisuni (now named as Hussani) and Passu while Shishkat and Ayeenabad were pasturages of Gulmit and not settled at that time.

The lake is lengthened to more than 40km and touched on a place called Sarmushk in Khyber (after crossing the Shimshal river and Batura glacier’s giant stream); while the width of the lake submerged the settlement of Gulmit up to the still-existing Shogirdi-e Khun, a house in Dalgiram in which the lake water started spilling over the threshold and stopped after the monstrous lake’s natural outburst. At that time there was no human power to face the challenge which we witness comparatively these days — equipped with the variety of technologies. The lake outburst of 1858 thus destroyed the settlements along the basins of Hunza and Indus Rivers. After reaching Attock, the giant storm sent a reverse wave in the Kabul River beyond Nawshira. Prof Dr. Kenneth Hewitt, a prominent Canadian professor Emeritus of Geography in Waterloo University reflects:

“The 1858 flood wave was still massive at Attock. In fact it sent a reverse wave up the Kabul River about 50km. Reports after 1858 suggest the flood wave reached 10-20m above high summer flows along the Gilgit and Indus, and caused erosion of river terraces ‘100s of feet’ back from the channel.”

Taking into account the historical evidences, the current landslide lake on Hunza River reminds us of the historical lake’s landscape. This has occurred beside the previous site and blocked the Hunza River. This time, the Karakoram Highway and two human settlements — Ayeenabad and Shishkat — reside on the lower portion of the previous lake site. The natural lake on Hunza River started devouring a significant part of these villages. By now, the lake has submerged almost 10 houses of Ayeenabad, more than 1500 kanals of land, thousands of domesticated plants, more or less 10km of the Karakoram Highway, and in coming days the longest bridge on the KKH known as Gulmit-Shishkat bridge is going to sink. Besides, due to insensitiveness of the related public sector organizations, the local community of the submerging villages, for the sake of meeting their abrupt financial needs, cut more than 8,000 of their domesticated plants which were the natural carbon-sinks. The second phase of the natural catastrophe is heading towards Gulmit (the headquarters of Gojal magistracy, the latter as the only corridor between China and Pakistan) spanning so far as more than 12km. The experts estimate that a significant part of Gulmit would submerge in the natural lake, and may reach the historical touching point.

As soon as the Gulmit-Shishkat bridge sinks, the settlements of Shishakat and Ayeenabad will become lake islands; and this situation would also hold true for Gulmit and Ghulkin settlements when the KKH would submerge near the Seghez-e Kor on the south of Ghulkin-Hussaini glacier.

It is being reported that the lake would reach Kipghar of Passu and would submerge several houses. But, if the upstream movement continued beyond the Kipghar, the lake would certainly cut the KKH before the Batura Inn: the villages of Passu, Khuramabod, Zarabod, Hussain and Borith would be other lake-islands among the glaciers and glacial streams from the air-view. At present, due to the winter season, the glaciers are frozen and there is little water in the Hunza River. From the outset of spring next month, more than 30 glaciers of Gojal will start melting and will fill the lake to its optimum level, which will certainly force the lake to spill soon.

From here onwards, the third and worst phase of natural catastrophe would begin by wiping out and destroying the settlements, humans and other biodiversities along with the basins of Hunza and Indus Rivers besides destruction of the KKH and the bridges, reaching and damaging the Tarbela Dam and possibly reversing the wave of Kabul River at a significant distance as was witnessed historically up to 50km in 1858.

What can be done to avoid such a scenario?

In the current circumstances of the second phase of catastrophe, the community of Gojal through different approaches is crying for help but little is being done about it. The second phase of catastrophe is now heading towards the third phase of worst calamity. It is therefore not just a deadlock for Gojal but also spells doomsday for the entire communities dwelling along the basins of the Hunza and Indus Rivers, even Kabul River.

Interestingly, it seems as if there is no serious action being taken by the federal government and the newly elected members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA). Rather they seem entrapped (after taking oath on December 10, 2009) in lobbying in Islamabad for getting political positions the cabinet. There seems no seriousness among the key leaders in the bureaucracy (local administration), despite the fact that they have been told about such anticipated calamities in the near future. There is no awareness or seriousness among the community of the civil society organizations in Gilgit-Baltistan either. The entire population of their region could get isolated from communications and the development activities, enterprises and so on for a long period if and when the bridges on the KKH are destroyed.

The federal and local governments need to take this monster of the Hunza River as top priority. GBLA should convene its emergency meetings and opt for immediate and concrete steps by consulting all the stakeholders through emergency workshops. The government needs to at least double the number of machines and increase the labor forces. If the FWO has not the required and desired capacity to adequately address the deadlock, it is advisable to get full assistance from the Chinese government. It has become imperative to seek for effective and efficient ways and mechanisms to save Pakistan and its citizens from the upcoming doomsdays in the near future in the third phase of natural disaster. DAWN

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13 Comments

  1. We can try to avoid such naturaal disasters and take suitable measures but that all is so sudden that one is never prepared for it. Thats the Power of God before which we can’t do anything.

  2. Dear All!

    It is question for all of us and common public of PAK. What and how the top management of NDMA relised this catostography. After a month 30 days they acertain a report from NESPAK and desigend prepared as it was suitable for them. We are crying from the first day and submitted the most feasible action required at that time, but non was interested in it not known due lack of information or lack of interest or only watching their interest on the lives of the people.

    Being a very siple engineering background-I can say that if this seepage adopted the piping that, will destroy down stream and the loss will be in trillion PAK rupees. Who is bothered about the account calculations. A lay man can judge the cost of bridges and roads with in the low laying indus from SHISKAT to THAKOT Bridge-further all the indus Basin.

    As Vinnie narrated in her comments-do no thing-and say that POWER OF GOD in the twenty first century seems really a strange.
    ————————

  3. Am agree with Fazal that the current government is least intrested to give more attention to the people of Gojal and Hunza
    We gojalis are not that sort of people to rase voice against the government we are simply dad nation get ready rase your voice and do some thong for your self

  4. In Pakistan we can’t do any thing but in the developed world they can. We the Pakistanis are saying we can’t do…..GBLA and the Bureacracy is badly failed in insisting the suffer peoples.

  5. In Pakistan we can’t do any thing but in the developed world they can. We the Pakistanis are saying we can’t do…..GBLA and the Bureacracy is badly failed in assisting the suffer peoples.

  6. Mr. Fazal Amin Baig nicely narrated the historical background of this natural disaster and warn the high-ups for its consequences. He also put forward some solution. It is up to Government how serious they take this situation. I think there is political solution to this problem; Government must take some concrete steps because it is a matter of life and death.

    Thank you FAB and PT.

  7. Years of hard work and development can be wiped out by one natural disaster.That is why disaster mitigation should be mainstreamed into development.

    We request FOCUS and GB-NDMA to start multi year programme to make local communities resilient to natural disasters. Please remeber that entire GB province is in high earthquake zone and we have lot of active landslides.
    professor Kenneth Hewill coments about history of this area of disaster ,we should learn from.

  8. GOJAL.HUNZA AND GILGIT-BALTISTAN PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE HARD WORKING CITZENS OF PAKISTAN.

    HERE IF YOU PEOPLE CAN NOT CHANGE YOURSELF.

    GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN WILL NEVER HELP YOU

    YOU KNOW THAT.GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN HAS NOT ACCEPTED US A CITIZEN OF PAKISTAN NOR DOES HAVE ANY KIND OF INTREST IN OUR PEOPLE AS A NATION

    GOD BLESSED YOU FOR THE PAST 63 YEARS AFTER INDEPENDENCE AND INSHALLAH WITH OUR OWN HARD WORK UNITEDLY WE CAN HELP OURSELF AND OUR PEOPLE OF GOJAL,HUNZA AND GILGIT ,BALTISTAN

    LONG LIVE GB

  9. Nicely articulated the issue to make it clear to the people of Pakistan that its not only dooms day for Gojal and gojalies but the whole nation is vulnerable to this calamity.The people of Gojal have already been marginalized which is the proof of the inactiveness of our so called political leaders who are good at bombasting in the elections and doing nothing on practical grounds.Mr Fazal you should have bluntly narrated the role of the elected leaders who couldnt convince their own party heads to take the matter seriously.Any how your I found your article a master piece.Keep it up.

  10. It is a very critical situation in the Hunza region and this can have a very devastating effect on the economy of Pakistan.
    I have submitted it on digg for international attention as well.

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