Flash floods and mudslides triggered by heavy downpour blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at various points in Gilgit-Baltistan on Sunday.
Diamer Deputy Commissioner (DC) Captain (Rtd) Arif Ahmad told Dawn.com that the KKH was blocked near Goharabad village’s Gandalo area, adding that it was blocked at nine different points within a 1.5-kilometre stretch.
He further said that two cars were damaged after coming in contact with mudslides. However, the passengers in them remained safe and the cars were pulled out of the mudslides.
DC Ahmad stated that over 50 houses had been damaged in the district due to the rain-triggered floods in the past eight days while around 250 kilometres of linked roads and nine vehicles had been damaged, increasing the locals’ misery.
The DC went on to confirm that other than major and linked roads, water supply lines were also damaged in Diamer district’s Darail tehsils.
DC Ahmad urged tourists and commuters to avoid unnecessary travel via the KKH these days as landslide and mudslides incidents are occurring there on a daily basis.
National Highway Authority Deputy Director Ghulam Abbas told Dawn.com that efforts to clear the KKH were under way.
Muhammad Hafeez Tangiri, a local resident from Diamer’s Tangir tehsil, said his village has been devastated by the floods, damaging suspension bridges and main and linked roads there.
He further said that a day ago, the local community gathered in the Phapat village to demand that the government protect their village from being hit by any further floods as it had been affected for a long time — almost every year during the monsoon season.
Meanwhile, Hunza DC Ghazanfar Ali said that roads heading to the Misgar and Shimshal villages were blocked as well due to heavy rains last night.
He added that machinery was being used to clear the Misgar road while the district’s works department was mobilising machinery on the Shimshal Road.
The Hunza DC requested commuters to avoid travelling on the said roads till the completion of the clearance operation.
