Avalanche debris blocks Tangir River in G-B

As many as 50 houses vacated due to fear of flooding in upstream areas.

GILGIT: An avalanche dropped huge amounts of solid debris into the Tangir River on Monday morning, blocking its flow. Dozens of houses were vacated because of the increasing threat of inundation in upstream areas.

“The Tangir River is blocked now and adjoining villages are in danger of inundation,” Asad Khan, a man from Chilas told The Express Tribune by phone. He said that heavy snowfall was impeding the work of local volunteers who were trying to clear the debris, which also contained extra large boulders.

“There is no loss to lives or property. We are in contact with the people,” said a policeman from Chilas.

The incident occurred in the Tangir Valley, about 50 kilometers from Chilas, the major town of the district, after incessant rains continued to lash the region.

“Heavy showers caused floods and avalanches,” Imtiaz Alam, a resident of Chilas told The Express Tribune by phone. He said that nearly 50 houses in the vicinity were vacated to avert possible inundation in case the lake burst its banks.

A similar incident created a lake in Attabad village in January last year, cutting off 25,000 people in the upper reaches of Hunza and Gojal. The lake still poses a threat to thousands of people living downstream.

Meanwhile, light showers continued to lash Gilgit-Baltistan, lowering temperatures in the region. All flights to Gilgit and Skardu were suspended, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in Islamabad.

Rain-triggered landslides also blocked the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2011.