Attabad Lake Disaster: Spillway deepening in 2013
The Attabad Lake disaster has severely affected trade between the valleys.
ISLAMABAD:
The work on deepening the Attabad spillway for allowing water to recede and clearing the path of the Hunza Bridge is to be completed next year. An official of the National Disaster Management Authority said it was decided last year that the spillway would be deepened 30 metres. He added: “The water flow rises in summers due to which it is not possible to work on the spillway, therefore only a short span of winter season is utilised for this project”. The official also said they received a request for helicopters from the Gilgit-Baltistan government so that people on both sides of the lake can trade after water froze over in winter, preventing them from using boats. The Attabad Lake disaster has severely affected trade between the valleys as well as international trade between Pakistan and China.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2012.
The work on deepening the Attabad spillway for allowing water to recede and clearing the path of the Hunza Bridge is to be completed next year. An official of the National Disaster Management Authority said it was decided last year that the spillway would be deepened 30 metres. He added: “The water flow rises in summers due to which it is not possible to work on the spillway, therefore only a short span of winter season is utilised for this project”. The official also said they received a request for helicopters from the Gilgit-Baltistan government so that people on both sides of the lake can trade after water froze over in winter, preventing them from using boats. The Attabad Lake disaster has severely affected trade between the valleys as well as international trade between Pakistan and China.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2012.