Glacier burst and floods devastate Ghizer in PoGB, 330 homes damaged as artificial lake forms

Gilgit [PoGB], August 23 (ANI): Over 300 homes and many shops were damaged in the Ghizer district of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) due to a glacier burst, landslide, and flooding on Friday, as per the initial assessment by the government reported by Geo News.

A glacial lake outburst (GLOF) triggered flooding that caused extensive damage, resulting in the formation of an artificial lake yesterday morning. Numerous villages were inundated, leading to significant financial losses; however, there were no reported casualties, according to Geo News.

An earlier report from the district administration indicated that the water level in the temporary lake created by the calamity has started to go down, alleviating concerns of additional destruction. The flooding impacted a total of 330 houses across the villages of Tildas, Miduri, Mulaabad, Hawks Thangi, Rawshan, and Goth, with numerous shops incurring substantial losses.

Yasin, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Gupis, stated that there is an urgent need for tents, food supplies, and other essential relief items for the families displaced by the disaster. Officials confirmed that water is now flowing out of the artificial lake through a natural spillway, which is helping to lower its level and reduce the risk of erosion in the surrounding low-lying areas.

Senior official Sher Afzal from Ghizer mentioned that some homes upstream remain submerged, but the feared inundation of thousands more has been mitigated since the spillway was opened. He warned, however, that it will take time for the floodwaters to recede from homes that have already been affected, as reported by Geo News.

The landslide, accompanied by a sudden glacial lake outburst (GLOF), wreaked havoc in the villages of Rawshan and Tildas early Friday morning. An artificial lake over seven kilometres long flooded farmland and washed away parts of roads. Locals claim that approximately 80% of Raushan village was destroyed.

Authorities have cautioned that the natural dam at Raushan is still precarious and may breach under excessive pressure. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a high alert for glaciated areas, anticipating further rainfall beginning today (August 23).

The disaster in Ghizer adds to a series of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) that have hit northern Pakistan this season, with four confirmed incidents already damaging homes, crops, and transportation links in the valleys of PoGB and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Experts warn that increasing temperatures are hastening glacier melt, raising the likelihood of such occurrences in the future, as reported by Geo News. (ANI)

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