Hunza Valley: The Recent Flooding

The Hunza Valley is one of the most beautiful areas of Pakistan, with a rich historical background and plenty of sightseeing marvels. The Hunza River is perhaps one of the more astonishing sights within the region, mainly due to the Attabad Lake that was created at the start of the year 2010 due to landslides. The landslide has, however, caused concern among the natives of the region as being dangerous.

On January 4, 2010, a massive landslide at Attabad village killed twenty people and blocked the Hunza River and the Karakoram Highway. This resulted in the creation of a natural dam known as the Hunza Lake or the Attabad Lake. The lake began flooding and displaced nearly 6000 villagers and had further stranded another 25,000 with no viable land transportation routes. By June, the flooding had covered most of the neighboring subdivision of Gojal, Shishkat and Gilmat, flooding over 170 houses and 120 shops within Gojal alone. The landslide also caused the Karakoram Highway to be blocked, thereby producing a shortage of food and other necessary items to be transported into the area affected.

Initially slow in its response, the Government of Pakistan took action and pledged millions of rupees for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of infrastructure in the area. Many people were evacuated to over 195 different relief camps and were treated for injuries and given a place to stay.