Gilgit:
Following the devastating floods in the Ghizer District of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), the closure of 63 schools, originally ordered until August 25, has spread as the efforts of relief and rehabilitation continue.
GB government spokesman Faizullah Faraq said that schools in Ghizer had been closed due to the destruction caused by floods, added that the closure can extend even more depending on the situation.
He said that a Socorro Camp in Talidas has been established, where the Disaster Management Authority has already provided more than 150 tents for displaced families.
According to the spokesman, more than 300 food packages have been distributed among people affected by flooding in carving, along with more than 150 kitchen games and hygiene kits.
Relief articles also include more than 150 canvases and tones, more than 150 plastic mats, more than 150 water coolers and more than 2,000 bottles of mineral water.
Faraq added that the artificial lake formed in carved after floods is being monitored daily. Medical teams and ambulances have also been deployed by the provincial government in the affected areas to guarantee timely assistance.
Meanwhile, the authorities said that several areas of the Ghizer district have remained cut during the last five days as efforts continue to clear the Gilgit-Shandur road.
Most of Ghizer’s areas have been stranded after five kilometers of the main road were submerged by an artificial lake formed in the town of Raushan. Almost 300 houses were damaged by the glacial flooding, while the houses in the villages of Hakis, Thangi and Roushan remain underwater and residents fight without basic needs.
Similarly, the Karakoram highway in Hassanabad Hunza has also remained blocked for three weeks after the floods of the Shishper glacier submerged a portion of the road.
The closure has raised serious difficulties for Hasabad residents, while dozen household dozen, cultivation and public and private infrastructure lands have been damaged.
Mental Cost of Disaster
A statement issued by the GB government confirmed on Tuesday that the victims of recent floods, particularly women, children and the elderly, suffered mental and psychological stress.
A meeting chaired by the additional secretary of the Arif Tahseen Social Welfare Department was held with senior government officials and private institutions to address the matter.
The meeting focused on developing a coordinated strategy for mental health and psychological rehabilitation in affected areas.
The additional secretary Tahseen said that recent floods have not only caused physical and economic devastation, but have also left deep emotional and psychological impacts.
