Ice melt: Glacier destroys six houses in Naran

Owners had moved to warmer locations for the winter, reported to police that the loss was in hundreds of thousands.

MANSEHRA:

A glacier which had not budged for years came crashing down, destroying six houses belonging to nomads in Naran, according to Kaghan police on Monday.

The owners who had moved to warmer locations for the winter, reported to the police that the loss was in hundreds of thousands. The nomads had moved to Jageer village last December, leaving behind some valuables at home.

Forced to move out of their native village due to heavy snowfall which paralyses life every year, the nomads temporarily relocate in winters.

The homeowners said they had been migrating to safer places in winters for the past 40 years with their goats and cattle heads. When the snow starts to melt, they return to their homes and earn their living by working in the agricultural sector.

Since Kagahan Road was blocked due to heavy snowfall, they could not go to their houses in the village. When the access road to their village was cleared a bit on Sunday, they reached home to find six houses destroyed by the glacier.

They told the police that their houses were situated in the foothills of a mountain range for years and this was the first time a glacier had moved.

The nomads, Khushal Khan, Abdul Rasheed, Adil, Muhammad Azam, Muhammad Asif and Naseem of village Sehooch Sohni Naran registered a complaint with Kaghan police. They had lost everything and had no option but to spend the night outdoors.

A police official at the Kaghan police station, Syed Sudheer Shah confirmed they had received a complaint. Since the village was located at a distance of 15 kilometres from the police station and the access road was still covered by snow, he said the police would visit Sehooch Sohni Naran village tomorrow to estimate the loss.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2012.