Pakistan

Hunza lake expected to spill by May 28

May 26, 2010

The Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Retired Lt General Nadeem Ahmed said water outflow from the Hunza lake is expected to spill over on May 28.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 2050 cusecs water is entering the lake due to melting glaciers while the water release is 197 cusecs.

Landslides are also expected as the water level in the lake has increased to 3.1 feet in the last 24 hours.

The Hunza Deputy Commissioner Zafar Waqar Taj said that lake water had inundated low-lying areas and the rate of increase in the lake's water level had been steady. People from the 32 flooded villages have been evacuated and are not allowed to go back. All downstream villages have been evacuated.

The government of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa province has been asked by Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority to prepare for a possible emergency in the districts of Shangla, Mansehra, Kala Dhaka and Kohistan, downstream from the Hunza Nagar district.

The region is under threat from flooding from a lake that formed after a landslide. Villages in Hunza-Nagar are reported to have been flooded. According to the FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance NGO operating in the area, villages in the Kohistan district are under threat, with some 30,000 to 50,000 people possibly vulnerable. The district has a scattered population of about 500,000, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, a medical team sent by the Punjab government is also arriving in Hunza today, while air service stands operational to provide relief goods and food to the affectees.

COMMENTS (15)

LIAQUAT HUSSAIN TALASH | 14 years ago | Reply OUR PRAY IS THAT GOD WILL HELP PEOPLE OF GILGIT........................

aamir | 14 years ago | Reply if there is mushraf government then it will solve in the proper way,but now it is on present government how they solve this equation that is not more than earth quaick. in the future people of pakistan decide who is better for pakistan "molvi,mian,maim or mushraf.

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azmatazmi | 14 years ago | Reply allah sub ko apney aman my rakhay

ejaz hussain | 14 years ago | Reply allah tala sub ko apney aman my rakhy aur attabad walo k sat hamari dili hamdardey ha.

Tanvir | 14 years ago | Reply I think we can only covert this lake into tourist ponit not in a dam because Natural dam like this has very short life.

Dr Imran khan | 14 years ago | Reply Dam ----- is a barrier Dame --------- Lady Hamid Khan is correct bring back the planning of Ayub Khan

mughal q | 14 years ago | Reply every thing mentioned above is right. but nothing is going to happen or change untill we fix the core or root of the problems i.e as u all know our political system. more and more needs to be done to educate the citizen about rights and responsibility everyone have to put a strong government to run the country. i think this is out of context here but to me this is main problem "government". a trend needs to start to revive our values as a great nation and above all being muslims..... respect and help each other and yes, brotherhood. these little stuffs goes long ways.

Kaiser Hameed Khan | 14 years ago | Reply I absolutely agree with Arshad Alvi,in his suggestions for Kalabagh Dam.Somehow our Nation has agreed to disagree on ther KalaBagh Dam, irrespective of its benefits.Pakistan is the only country outside the Poles to have so many Glaciers, which are the source of our water.We should very well know that India shall deny every drop of water that comes to us from Rivers originating in India.Therefore our only survival lies in creating a series of Reserviors all along the rivers falling into the Indus.This will give us the following benefits: a. Rid us of the Curse of IPPs. b. Reduce the cost of electricity thus generated from Hydel Projects c. Revival of our Industry and Production of Cheaper goods which shall compete in the international market. d. Availibility of water to cater for the drought period. Probably some quarters with vested interests of corruption through IPPs create distrust among the Masses to achieve their goals. Governments in Pakistan hardly last five years whereas dams require a minimum period of seven to ten years to be constructed.Therefore no Government in Pakistan wants to give the benefit of reaping the fruits to their opposition parties. Somehow our Governments have a resolute resolve to fight terrorism irrespective of the consequences and a similar resolve not to look ahead of our noses. Because of our political affiliations, We criticise President Ayub Khan but forget how his foresight and planning has carried us so far even decades after his death. We need leaders who have foresight and resolve to think about the future of this Nation and who root out corruption from our society.Only then will we devote our selves and our energies to the wellbeing of this Nation. If we dont learn from these Signs of Almighty, we may not have the water to survive.Let alone *Roti, KAPRA & Makaan*

Arshad Alvi | 14 years ago | Reply I am pasting the text I had contributed elsewhere.........:- We are suffering water crisis due to construction of dams by India. Why can’t we take this blockade and formation of a lake with more than 300 feet depth of water, (enough to generate a lot of electricity and water reservoir to be used in draught conditions) as a lesson from ALmighty Allah and plan construction of a number of dams on such locations and affecting least of the population……. I would suggest the authorities to give it a serious thought and implement the studies I believe, which have already been carried out by major consultancy firms of Pakistan, on cascade of dams on Indus River. One of them I know is “ACE” (Associated Consulting Engineers”. More so, I have come to know that Hunza River contributes almost 25 to 30% of water to Indus River. This blockade has just provided some problems downstream but has created a reservoir about 20 Kilometers in length but has not dried up the Indus River in its lower reaches. People should understand that construction of Kala Bagh Dam would also not dry up the Indus River, rather it will give us a control to go for ponding and thereafter release the water when required, besides giving us a lots of Mega Watts of CHEAP Elecricity

Nasir | 14 years ago | Reply Brothers,your comments are invaluable but,may I ask your goodselves,do you really want to incur THAT heavy an investment in converting this lake(with an unstable floor;and undefined parameters)into a Dam?In my humble opinion,we must,instead,focus our thoughts and energies on how effectively we may handle the prevailing grave situation.Dams can certainly be made but at this moment,those wonderful people desperately look up to us for help and encouragement.Can we ever afford to disappoint them ????

Shah Ji | 14 years ago | Reply Mr. Zain and Mr. Iftikhar Khan, please be aware of the fact that it is technically totally infeasible to convert this lake into a permanent dam. More over, building a dam on a river is an 'out dated' idea, because the latest sciences in hydrology, energy and natural resouces management offer far better and far cheaper solutions for water management/storage, as well as for power generation. If we haven't been able to build dams in recent past (for any reasons), I consider it a blessing in disguise - as it gives us an opportunity to lead the world with the lastest techniques and management practices of using our most vital natural resource i.e., water.

jan alam nagari | 14 years ago | Reply Commissioner Zafar Waqar is not commisioner of only Hunza he is commisioner of hunza and Nagar

zain | 14 years ago | Reply Natural dams are surrounded by mountains and hence "lakes" are formed. If the lake continues to exist due to this landslide we can build a permanent spilway at the southern tip. Once the water recedes in Winter we can work on making this a permanent dam. Why do we have to wait for Kalabagh Dam which no government has the audacity to build? We need to make hundreds of small dams on all rivers and big drains which pass through the mountainous regions.

Kaiser | 14 years ago | Reply Lakes canot be converted into dames, because dames are ladied and lakes are made of water.If such a big lake becomes a dame, we all had it

Iftikhar Khan | 14 years ago | Reply **It is indeed a danger for the inhabitants of the area but great nations do not look in to the past but plan for future**. I think this lake is the gift of almighty Allah, and we as a nation shall unite to cater this danger ,but it is also a diguise from nature.we shall contact China to make an emergency plan to convert this lake in a permanent Dame and its potential could be converted in to Power generation to cater the energy crisis in the country.

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