Gilgit:
The timely warning of a local shepherd proved to be a lifeguard for the entire population of Roshan Village in the Ghizer district, avoiding them with a devastating sudden flooding on Friday morning, since the flood alerts of the State once again sounded holes, which demonstrates little more than a dead weight.
The incident has revived the debate on the wisdom of indigenous knowledge in the relentless field of Gilgit-Baltistan, where nature often makes decisions.
The authorities confirmed that Roshan, located about 200 kilometers from Gilgit, was completely submerged. Although lives were not lost, residents lost all their belongings and domestic livestock.
According to villagers and local authorities, the tragedy was avoided only due to the mental presence of the pastor. While attending his cattle in the mountains, he noticed signs of imminent flood.
Using his mobile phone, which had a SIM card in operation, he immediately alerted the villagers. His timely call caused a massive evacuation moments before the waters of the floods increased through the settlement.
“He is our Savior. We were all asleep and we would have met a tragic destination if he had not informed us,” said Shakir Hussain, a resident of Roshan Village. “A simple shepherd did what millions of rupees could not. All that expensive machinery in the ‘early alert’ is useless.”
In recognition of his fast thinking, the senior police officer Faisal Sultan gave pastor RS10,000, while the local community is reflecting on honoring him with a medal.
Pastor’s surveillance has generated a strong relief the deficiencies of the Government’s first warning devices (EWDS). Despite being installed at a large cost in GB to give timely alerts about floods and flood floods of the glacial lakes (Glof), the systems could not sound the alarm during the recent floods that charged 40 lives and left many more injured in areas where the devices were operational.
The incident in Roshan reflects another event in Gulmit, Gojal, where approximately 60 volunteers managed to escape a sudden flood at the last moment after traditional observation methods gave them a critical notice.
In statements to the Express PAkGazette, the GB Government spokesman, Faizullah Faraq, also appreciated the role of the pastor.
The events have led to a community -based surveillance.
A proposal that gains traction is to recruit and compose institutionally to local people such as shepherds, particularly during the dangerous summer months, such as “formal or formal or volunteer of early warning” centers “community based on the community.
Such a program, which implies a modest salary and communication tools, would represent a minimum expense, but could save millions in infrastructure and, more importantly, innumerable lives.
