Gilgit:
As the torrential rains continue to be dejected to Gilgit-Baltistan, Prime Minister Haji Gulbar Khan sounded the alarm on Saturday, urging the Federal Government to intervene with a help package from RS6 to 7 billion to begin reconstructing the battered infrastructure of the region.
With much of the region left by a thread, he urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit the areas affected by personally flooding to evaluate the situation in the field. He added that the devastation scale had left the province stretched beyond its financial limits.
When heading to a press conference on Saturday, GB CM Gulbar Khan shared the bleak details of the disaster and made an urgent appeal of immediate federal assistance.
He said that generalized floods have thrown everyday life in disorder, leaving a trace of destruction in multiple districts.
During his visit to the areas of Thak, Niat, Khanda and Thor in the Diamer District, the prime minister declared the areas affected by calamity.
Socorro operations are currently in progress, with tents, food supplies and other essential elements that are distributed to the displaced population. He also asked NGOs to join the government in the ongoing rehabilitation efforts.
According to the main minister, the sudden floods caused by strong downpours have severely impacted six to seven districts, with flood waters that flood Thak’s currents, resulting in extensive damage to homes and paralyzing electricity and water supply systems.
Until now, at least ten people have lost their lives, while four others have been injured. The flood has completely swept around 300 homes, while more than 200 have suffered partial damage.
The key roads have become impassable, including 8 to 9 kilometers from the Karakoram road, with a total of almost 20 kilometers of affected road infrastructure. In addition, 30 to 40 water channels have also been destroyed, which aggravates the crisis for local communities.
Kkh reopened
Meanwhile, the Karakoram highway (KKH) was reopened on Saturday when help and rescue operations advanced in GB after the trail of destruction left by sudden floods.
In a statement, GB government spokesman Faizullah Faraq confirmed: “The Karakoram road is open for all types of traffic.”
He pointed out that the vital artery had been blocked by landslides and mud flows on Friday, but the rapid deployment of heavy machinery helped restore the road.
Faraq said the rescue and search efforts were in full swing throughout the region, which has taken the worst part of the devastation, particularly in the Kunduz region and the Ghanche district.
“GB floods have destroyed many houses, water channels, communication roads, standing crops, electricity stores and posts,” he said.
The official added that the local administration had entered into action, distributing “hundreds of tents, thousands of food and medication packages to affected people” in the areas affected by floods.
Speaking about Babusar’s search, Faraq said there may be 10 to 12 missing tourists in the Babusar Valley, since a search operation was ongoing.
He said that the Pakistan army, the GB explorers, the 1122 rescue and the local volunteers were in their hands on the deck, despite the ongoing land landslides and the growing waters that threw a key in the works.
