Floods in Pakistan

On 4 January 2010, a massive landslide triggered nearly 1.5 KM wide blockage (referred to as the ‘Dam’) across Hunza River and Karakoram Highway (KKH) at Ataabad, 15 KMs east of Karimabad ( Hunza-Nagar district). Loss of life in Attabad was prevented through timely evacuations. However, humanitarian consequences of the disaster are:-
· 20 died in an adjoining village of Sarat and 7 were injured;
· 56 houses were destroyed in Ataabad and Surat and 60 were damaged;
· 252 families are living in IDP camps in Karimabad, Hunza (142 families) and in Shishket (110 families), upper Hunza.
Blockage of the Hunza River has created a Lake that extends nearly 15 kilometers into Gojal Tehsil of upper Hunza. The Lake has inundated a stretch of KKH including a bridge at Shishket. Village Ainabad and parts of village Shishkat are inundated and Gulmit is vulnerable. 110 families have been displaced and valuable agricultural land and fruit orchards are lost. 30,000 population in upper Hunza, as a consequence, is isolated from market access and essential social services.
The Lake water is expected to overtop / outflow through the 30 meters deep spillway (under construction) between 10 May and 10 June 2010.

Source: OCHA Pakistan