Attabad Lake victims receive relief goods
Over 100 containers with daily-use items reach G-B from China.
GILGIT:
Over 100 relief containers containing 3,434 tons of goods reached Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) from China on Thursday to provide relief goods to the victims of Attabad Lake in Hunza, officials and residents said on Thursday.
“The relief package comprises cooking oil, flour, dry milk powder, rice, blankets, sugar, diesel and coal,” said an official in Sost, a town in Gojal Valley. More than 25,000 people in the valley have been stranded since January 2010 following a landslide that formed a 23-kilometre lake, submerging a major portion of the Karakoram Highway, cutting off the valley from rest of the country.
Following the formation of the lake, the only way to reach Gojal is through boats being run by private owners, who charge high fees from passengers. However, the boat facility is suspended during winter season, as the lake is frozen due to extremely cold weather.
According to the district government officials, the relief goods will be distributed among people as soon as possible.
“We are extremely thankful to our neighbouring country, which has remembered us in these difficult times,” said Didar Ali, a resident of Gojal.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2011.
Over 100 relief containers containing 3,434 tons of goods reached Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) from China on Thursday to provide relief goods to the victims of Attabad Lake in Hunza, officials and residents said on Thursday.
“The relief package comprises cooking oil, flour, dry milk powder, rice, blankets, sugar, diesel and coal,” said an official in Sost, a town in Gojal Valley. More than 25,000 people in the valley have been stranded since January 2010 following a landslide that formed a 23-kilometre lake, submerging a major portion of the Karakoram Highway, cutting off the valley from rest of the country.
Following the formation of the lake, the only way to reach Gojal is through boats being run by private owners, who charge high fees from passengers. However, the boat facility is suspended during winter season, as the lake is frozen due to extremely cold weather.
According to the district government officials, the relief goods will be distributed among people as soon as possible.
“We are extremely thankful to our neighbouring country, which has remembered us in these difficult times,” said Didar Ali, a resident of Gojal.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2011.