Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued an emergency order on Sunday to control the damage caused by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from Hunza’s Shisper Glacier the day before.
Flooding from the Shisper glacier took down the Hassanabad bridge on the Karakoram Highway near Hunza on Saturday. Onlookers raced for safety as a massive surge of water swept away a portion of the bridge, according to dramatic footage shared on social media.
Houses, hundreds of kanals of agricultural land, trees, water supply lines, and two hydropower plants were all flooded by the eruption of the ice-dammed lake produced by the rushing Shisper glacier.
Flooding cut off-road access between central and upper Hunza, stranding hundreds of people on both sides, including visitors.
The prime minister made a statement today, ordering authorities to guarantee the safety of people’s lives and property, as well as their evacuation to safer locations.
He also instructed aid workers to send food, medication, and essential supplies to the affected communities.
Because of the collapse of the bridge on the Karakoram Highway, Prime Minister Shehbaz also directed officials to establish an alternate route.
The prime minister directed teams to calculate the number of damages caused because of floods that destroyed agricultural and drinking water infrastructure, as well as two power facilities.
“On a war footing, the prime minister ordered the renovation of two power facilities – 700 megawatts and 250MW,” the statement said.
He also demanded a report on the damages to the Karakoram Highway.
“We will take all necessary actions to provide complete relief and rehabilitation to those impacted”, said PM.
The prime minister has instructed all federal agencies to fully back the Gilgit-Baltistan administration.
Meanwhile, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, the Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan, addressed the media on Sunday about the magnitude of the devastation.
At the time of the lake outburst, the floodwaters of Shisper Glacier were estimated to reach 8,000 cusecs, he claimed. “The bridge, Karakoram water supply, and underground cable network were all devastated by the flooding.”
A bridge made of iron is being built.
The bridge installation will be finished in the next 15 to 20 days to restore immediate connection on the Karakoram Highway, according to the National Highway Authority General Manager Mehmoob Wali, “but it will take six to seven months to create an alternate concrete-made bridge.”
He also stated that repair work on the Karakoram Highway’s damaged segment will begin tomorrow.
In May 2018, the Shisper glacier surged, preventing water flow from a stream that originates from the neighbouring Muchuhur glacier and flows into the Hunza River in Hassanabad, generating an artificial lake. The water in the dammed lake builds up in the winter and then drains in the summer.
