GB lake formed by glacial outburst ‘poses no danger’: govt
Staff Report
GILGIT: A lake formed by the recent glacial outburst in Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district has reduced to 40 feet and poses no danger to nearby settlements, the regional government spokesperson said on Sunday.
A glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) refers to a rush of water from a glacial lake which could lead to severe flooding downstream. A Glof occurred on early Friday morning in the Talidas village of Gupis Valley, with at least 200 people being evacuated safely thanks to a shepherd’s warning.
“For now, there is no danger from the lake,” said a statement by GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq. The lake had earlier threatened the downstream areas of Ghizer, Gilgit and Diamer.
As the Glof wreaked havoc downstream, 330 households comprising over 3,000 individuals had become internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to the incident, according to Israruddin Israr, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s GB coordinator.
The number of IDPs in this incident is the second-largest since the 2010 Attabad disaster, Israr noted. The residents of Talidas had been shifted to a tent settlement, Faraq said yesterday, acknowledging that the early warning system was not active in Ghizer.
Relief operations were underway for the affected residents, with GB Chief Secretary Abrar Ahmed Mirza supervising the efforts on the site, Faraq said today.
The spokesperson further said that three shepherds who “saved 300 human lives” through their prompt alerts have been invited by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
“We have been told by the PM Secretariat to send the three shepherds to Islamabad. It seems that [Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif] will meet the shepherds and encourage them,” Faraq added.
One of them was Wasiyat Khan from Rawshan village, who was near the glacier and used his mobile phone to alert the community about the impending flood.
“It is also necessary to encourage Nasir, who saved about half a dozen human lives in Ghizer’s Daen [village]. Ali Ahmed, who saved the lives of about 50 volunteers in Gojal Valley’s Gulmit town, is also indispensable,” Faraq said.
