Flood Disaster Unfolding in Pakistan
Posted by feww on March 18, 2010
Designer Disaster?
River turned lake in Pakistan threatening the homes, livelihood and lives of 25,000
A massive landslide which killed 19 people in Attabad, northern Pakistan early this year, also formed a natural dam blocking the fast flowing Hunza River, and creating a lake that is drowning upstream villages as it expands, AP reported.
People wait for boats at a lake created after a massive landslide block the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan. The river has now turned into a lake that is consuming upstream as it expands. If dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages. Photo dated Thursday March 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Shabbir Ahmed Mir). Image may be subject to copyright.
“If the dam breaks, a flash flood could threaten downstream villages too. The landslide also has blocked the Karakoram Highway, a vital trade link to China, cutting off 25,000 people in the Upper Hunza Valley.” The report said.
The accidental lake is about 11 kilometer (6.8 miles) long, and 65 meters (215 feet) deep, with the water level rising at a rate of about 0.5 m a day, said the National Disaster Management Authority.
“At least one major bridge in the area has been submerged.”
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[…] Flood Disaster Unfolding in Pakistan […]
Landslide News « Fire Earth said
[…] the fast flowing Hunza River, and creating a lake that is drowning upstream villages as it expand. See original entry. The collapse of the dam would lead to a major […]