Heavy glacial flood rages through Hunza
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• Damaged section of KKH sealed off as precautionary measure; Gilgit-Shandur Road remains blocked for seventh straight day
• Met Office warns of more heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir
GILGIT: A glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) from Shisper Glacier swelled the Hassanabad Nullah in Hunza, damaging infrastructure, and putting dozens of mountainside homes at risk in the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Officials said the heavy flood eroded the protective walls of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and damaged farmland. Due to land erosion caused by the nullah, dozens of houses are at risk in case of such events in the future.
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA), the flood damaged the newly constructed retaining wall and a portion of the Karakoram Highway. Though the highway is open to all types of traffic, the damaged section has been sealed off for safety measures.
The authority said a significant area of cultivable land, along with standing crops and trees, had been wiped out in the flood, while the electricity supply to Hassanabad was also disrupted. Similarly, a property owned by the Forest Department had suffered damage while a portion of Frontier Works Organisation’s land adjacent to a bridge also sustained damage.
Locals said that four houses downstream were dismantled in time to save them from the flood. Last month, a similar Glof event damaged four houses, agricultural land, trees, and public and private properties.
The authority requested the National Highway Authority (NHA) to urgently visit the site to assess the damaged section and inspect other vulnerable parts of the road. Community Based Disaster Risk Management Committee members, GBDMA staff, and other volunteers were actively monitoring the situation on the site and supporting community preparedness and response efforts.
On the other hand, the Gilgit-Shandur Road remained closed off for the seventh day in Khotom village of the Phander valley, stranding thousands of people in the area.
Met Office alert
On the other hand, the Pakistan Meteorological Department on Thursday afternoon issued a warning for heavy rain across Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and advised citizens to stay alert, Dawn.com reported.
Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2025
