24 May 2010 13:28:16 GMT Thousands are fleeing their homes amidst fears of flooding as a breach of the Attabad Lake in northern Pakistan looks imminent. An estimated 13,935 people (1,747 families) from 39 villages have been displaced following an avalanche which blocked the Hunza River farming a19km by 80-metres deep artificial lake in Attabad, Hunza, located 130km north of Gilgit in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. A large number of cattle and standing crops on hundreds of acres of land were also buried under tonnes of earth that blocked the flow of the once fast-flowing river and a 22km stretch of the Karakorum Highway. Threatening water levels owing to rapid melting of glaciers now fast approaching the Lake’s mouth, and just a two to four feet gap from the spillway are sparking fears of a massive flood that will affect many more villages. Already the villages of Ainabad, Shishkat and Gulmit in the upstream areas of the lake have been completely inundated and 1,000 people from these villages have been moved to camps in safer locations. At least 36 villages situated downstream on the River Hunza are still considered to be at risk. A total of 18 relief camps have been set up in Gilgit and Hunza, with nine of the camps in Hunza Nagar and nine in Gilgit. Meanwhile, it is being feared that the leakage or busting of the Lake’s bank could affect all of the five districts of Hazara Division. According to a news channel, the people living on the bank of the Indus River have been directed to vacate the area. The displaced families are facing the daily challenge of obtaining clean drinking water, food and clothing as they seek refuge with relatives or in the tented camps perched amid the terraces of high snow capped mountains on one side and the Indus River on the other side. …
Flood fears as Attabad Lake bank breach looks imminent
