Arya News - Flash floods triggered by heavy rain caused damage to houses and crops in several areas of Ghizer in the early hours.
GILGIT – Cloudburst-induced floods blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and other roads, damaged farmland and properties and disrupted electricity supply in Ghizer district on Saturday.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rain caused damage to houses and crops in several areas of Ghizer in the early hours.
The floods wreaked havoc in Naubahar village, damaging Gushgush Jamaat Khana. They also destroyed crops, fruit trees and agricultural land in the village.
Floods in various areas blocked the road from Immit to Barjangle and damaged electricity transmission lines along the route.
Residents were cut off from other areas following the blockade and demanded that the administration take emergency measures to reopen the affected road and provide immediate assistance to flood victims to compensate for their losses.
Meanwhile, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan police spokesperson, the KKH was completely closed from Sost to Khunjerab Top due to landslides. He said relevant agencies were working to restore the highway.
Tourists have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel in view of the situation.
The tourism police said the section of the KKH between Murtazaabad and Hassanabad village in Hunza had been reopened for traffic after being blocked by landslides.
Panic among residents
While intermittent rain, thunderstorms and lightning have continued across Gilgit-Baltistan since Aug 1, locals said they had never experienced such downpour. Waseem Baigal, a resident of Gilgit, told Dawn that thunderstorms and heavy rain caused panic among locals. He said he had never experienced such heavy rain and thunderstorms in his life. However, he added that the rain had not caused any damage in his area.
Meanwhile, continuous rainfall has brought down temperatures across Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to the Diamer district administration, Babusar Top received snowfall on Saturday morning. It was the first snowfall of the season, but vehicular traffic continued on Babusar Road.
Changing weather patterns
According to the GB Disaster Management Authority, the region experienced 120 floods triggered by cloudbursts and melting glaciers from June to August this year.
The floods destroyed dozens of homes, farmland, orchards, trees, irrigation channels and roads, besides damaging electricity supply systems. Residents in several areas remained stranded for days.
Experts said the region had undergone a shift in weather patterns, with frequent floods, cloudburst-induced floods, rapid glacier melting, glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and high temperatures.
They said the fragile ecosystem of the region was under increasing threat from climate change, while residents living among more than 8,000 glaciers, 300 glacial lakes and mountains faced increasingly severe disasters.
Ali Ahmed, a resident, said mid-August was traditionally considered the summer season, after which the weather started turning cold.
“According to indigenous knowledge, ice started to freeze at high altitudes and the risk of flash floods was over. However, for the last many years, a weather shift has been experienced,” he added.
Safdar Ali, another resident, said people in Gilgit-Baltistan were among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
He said increasing climate-related impacts had created panic among local residents.