5,500 houses of central Hunza to get clean drinking water

Popular tourist hotspot has been hit hard recently following floods in Hassanabad and Ultar Nullahs

GILGIT:

The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government on Thursday signed an agreement of partnership with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) Pakistan to conduct a study for provision of drinking water to central Hunza where people have been hit hard by recently following floods in Hassanabad and Ultar Nullahs.

“The study will be conducted for sustainable solution of drinking water supply for central Hunza sourced from Attabad lake,” an official privy to the development said.

”The feasibility will include Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessments of the supply line and eight settlements of Hunza,” he said referring to areas including Faizabad, Altit, Karimabad, Ganish, Garelth, Haiderabad, Dorkhand and Aliabad.

Central Hunza faces acute water shortage as most settlements depend on two glacial melt streams (Hassanabad Nallah and Ultar Nallah) as their primary source of water. The recent glacial lake outburst floods from both glaciers have severely impacted water supply and other community infrastructure.

Growth in tourism to the area, critical for economic development, adds further pressure on the region’s water resources. Using its rich experience around the design and implementation of water supply systems in mountain areas combined with its hazard risk assessment and overall habitat planning expertise the AKAH will provide technical support to the government on this highly important study.

Addressing on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Hunza Fayaz Ahmed hoped that the partnership with the AKAH will enable district administration to provide sustainable access to clean drinking water to 5,500 households, commercial entities, health and education facilities from eight settlements of central Hunza.

This feasibility study will not only identify solutions for the current needs of the community but also help boost tourism potential of the area in the years to come.

In his remarks, Nawab Ali Khan, chief executive officer, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan said, “The AKAH has the mandate of creating resilient human habitats and we will support any initiative that is aligned with our mandate.” The AKAH is thankful to the government for all its support that has enabled us to serve communities in need, he added.

Over the last two decades, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan has provided 500,000 people with water and sanitation facilities across the country mainly in mountain communities. This has resulted not only in reducing waterborne diseases, but also improved health and economic conditions as well as reduced the burden on women and girls of fetching water from long distances.