Attabad Lake
Encyclopedia
Attabad Lake, Gojal, also known as Gojal Lake, is a lake in the Hunza Valley
of northern Pakistan
created in January 2010 by a landslide dam
. The lake was formed due to a massive landslide
at Attabad
village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14.5 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad
that occurred on January 4, 2010. The landslide killed twenty people and blocked the flow of the Hunza River
for five months. The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, stranded (from land transportation routes) a further 25,000, and inundated over 12 miles (19.3 km) of the Karakoram Highway
. The lake reached 13 miles (20.9 km) long and over 100 metres in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding Gulmit
. The subdivision
of Gojal
has the greatest number of flooded buildings, over 170 houses and 120 shops. The residents also had shortages of food and other items due to the blockage of the Karakoram Highway
.
By June 4 water outflow from the lake had increased to 3700 cuft/s.
As a result of the damming of Hunza River, five villages north of the barrier were flooded. One village, Ayeenabad, was completely submerged. Major portions of another village, Shishkat, was also submerged. Around 40 % of the village of Gulmit, which also serves as the headquarter of Gojal Valley, was also submerged. Significant portions of land in Hussain and Ghulkin villages of Gojal also got submerged as a result of the surging lake.
The entire population of Gojal valley, up to 25000 individuals, were affected as a result of the lake, due to blockade of road access, difficulties in reaching to markets, loss of land, houses and agricultural products.
Attabad has been visited by current and former Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gillani and Nawaz Sharif
, and by the Chief Minister of Punjab
Shahbaz Sharif
, Sharif announced Rs100 million of aid for the victims from the Punjab government and Rs0.5 million for the relatives of those who died in the landslide.
Areas downstream from the lake remained on alert despite some officials believing that a major flood scenario was less likely as the river began flowing over the landslide dam during the first week of June 2010. Many people have been evacuated to 195 relief camps. Two hospitals downstream, the Kashrote Eye Vision Hospital and the Aga Khan
Health Service, evacuated both their staff and equipment. Some officials had incorrectly predicted that as soon as the lake began flowing over the landslide dam, a 60 feet (18.3 m) wave would hit the areas immediately downstream.
As of 14 June 2010, the water level continued to rise. DawnNews reported that " 242 houses, 135 shops, four hotels, two schools, four factories and several hundred acres of agricultural land" had been flooded, and that villagers were receiving food and school fee subsidies. They reported that 25 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway and six bridges were destroyed.
A special documentary on this issue Hunza Kahani by Waqar Ahmed Malik was on aired at Express news.
Ethnic Aspect of the Lake Disaster
The Gojal Valley, which is worst affected as a result of this lake, is home to three rare ethnic groups, namely Wakhi (70%), Burushaski (28%) and Domaki (2%). The entire population of Domaki speakers, a very tiny minority and historically marginalized community, was displaced from their village (Shishkat).
The Wakhi and Burushaski speaking minority ethnic groups have also been affected severely as a result of the disaster.e
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around . The territory of Hunza is about...
of northern Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
created in January 2010 by a landslide dam
Landslide dam
A landslide dam, debris dam, or barrier lake is a natural damming of a river by some kind of mass wasting: landslide, debris flow, rock avalanche or volcano. If it is caused by earthquake, it may also be called a quake lake. Some landslide dams are as high as the largest existing artificial dam...
. The lake was formed due to a massive landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
at Attabad
Attabad
Attabad, also spelt Atabad, is a town in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. It is located at 36°19'0N 74°48'0E with an altitude of 2559 metres ....
village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14.5 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad
Karimabad (Hunza)
Karimabad is the capital of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. Karimabad is also known as Baltit. It is named after Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual head of Shia Ismaili Nizari community. The Guardian ranked it as the 12th Best Tourist Site in Pakistan.-See also:*Hunza...
that occurred on January 4, 2010. The landslide killed twenty people and blocked the flow of the Hunza River
Hunza River
Hunza River is the principal river of Hunza, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is formed by the confluence of the Kilik and Khunjerab nalas which are fed by glaciers. It is joined by the Gilgit River and the Naltar River before it flows into the Indus River.The river cuts through the...
for five months. The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, stranded (from land transportation routes) a further 25,000, and inundated over 12 miles (19.3 km) of the Karakoram Highway
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
. The lake reached 13 miles (20.9 km) long and over 100 metres in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding Gulmit
Gulmit
Gulmit is the headquarter of the Gojal Tehsil, in the upper Hunza region of the Gilgit territory in the deep in the Karakoram Mountain Range. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountains, peaks and glaciers. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and a museum...
. The subdivision
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Gojal
Gojal
Gojal, also known as Upper Hunza, is an area north of Gilgit in the far north of Pakistan near the Chinese and Afghan borders. It is the largest tehsil of the Gilgit-Baltistan autonomous area of northern Pakistan....
has the greatest number of flooded buildings, over 170 houses and 120 shops. The residents also had shortages of food and other items due to the blockage of the Karakoram Highway
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the highest paved international road in the world, but at its peak at the China-Pakistan border it is only paved on the Chinese side. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of as confirmed by both...
.
By June 4 water outflow from the lake had increased to 3700 cuft/s.
Aftermath of landslide
Victims of the landslide and expansion of the lake staged a sit-in protesting the lack of government action and compensation payments to them.As a result of the damming of Hunza River, five villages north of the barrier were flooded. One village, Ayeenabad, was completely submerged. Major portions of another village, Shishkat, was also submerged. Around 40 % of the village of Gulmit, which also serves as the headquarter of Gojal Valley, was also submerged. Significant portions of land in Hussain and Ghulkin villages of Gojal also got submerged as a result of the surging lake.
The entire population of Gojal valley, up to 25000 individuals, were affected as a result of the lake, due to blockade of road access, difficulties in reaching to markets, loss of land, houses and agricultural products.
Attabad has been visited by current and former Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gillani and Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
, and by the Chief Minister of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
Shahbaz Sharif
Shahbaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is a well-known conservative Pakistani politician and currently President of Pakistan Muslim League . He is the brother of Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is the chief minister of Pakistan's most populous province Punjab since 2008...
, Sharif announced Rs100 million of aid for the victims from the Punjab government and Rs0.5 million for the relatives of those who died in the landslide.
Areas downstream from the lake remained on alert despite some officials believing that a major flood scenario was less likely as the river began flowing over the landslide dam during the first week of June 2010. Many people have been evacuated to 195 relief camps. Two hospitals downstream, the Kashrote Eye Vision Hospital and the Aga Khan
Aga Khan
Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers of the Shī‘a faith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendants of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the larger Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa...
Health Service, evacuated both their staff and equipment. Some officials had incorrectly predicted that as soon as the lake began flowing over the landslide dam, a 60 feet (18.3 m) wave would hit the areas immediately downstream.
As of 14 June 2010, the water level continued to rise. DawnNews reported that " 242 houses, 135 shops, four hotels, two schools, four factories and several hundred acres of agricultural land" had been flooded, and that villagers were receiving food and school fee subsidies. They reported that 25 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway and six bridges were destroyed.
A special documentary on this issue Hunza Kahani by Waqar Ahmed Malik was on aired at Express news.
Ethnic Aspect of the Lake Disaster
The Gojal Valley, which is worst affected as a result of this lake, is home to three rare ethnic groups, namely Wakhi (70%), Burushaski (28%) and Domaki (2%). The entire population of Domaki speakers, a very tiny minority and historically marginalized community, was displaced from their village (Shishkat).
The Wakhi and Burushaski speaking minority ethnic groups have also been affected severely as a result of the disaster.e
See also
- Tangjiashan LakeTangjiashan LakeTangjiashan Lake is a landslide dam-created lake on the Jian River, which was formed by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Its name comes from the nearby mountain Tangjiashan. On May 24, 2008 the water level rose by in a single day, reaching a depth of , just below the barrier level...
, also formed by a landslide - Usoi DamUsoi DamThe Usoi Dam is a natural landslide dam along the Murghab River in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. At high, it is the tallest dam in the world, either natural or man-made...
, a large lake formed by a landslide - Red Lake (Romania)Red Lake (Romania)Lacul Roşu is a barrier lake in the Eastern Carpathians chain in Harghita County, Romania. The name of "Lacul Roşu" comes from the reddish alluvia deposited in the lake by the Red Creek. The lake falls within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Gheorgheni.-External links:*...
, a mountain lake formed by a landslide - Cyclone PhetCyclone PhetCyclone Phet was the third named cyclone of the 2010 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Phet developed from a low pressure area in the Arabian Sea that organized into a tropical cyclone on May 31...
- 2010 Gansu mudslide2010 Gansu mudslideThe 2010 Gansu mudslide was a deadly mudslide in Zhugqu County in Gannan TAP in China that occurred at 12 midnight on 8 August 2010. It was caused by heavy rainfall and flooding in Gansu Province. It was the most deadly individual disaster among the 2010 China floods . The mudslides killed more...
- 2010 Salang avalanches2010 Salang avalanchesThe 2010 Salang avalanches consisted of a series of at least 36 avalanches that struck the southern approach to the Salang tunnel, north of Kabul, Afghanistan on February 8 and 9, 2010, burying of road, killing at least 172 people and trapping over 2,000 travellers...
- 2010 Leh floods2010 Leh floodsThe 2010 Leh floods occurred on 6 August 2010 in Leh, the largest town in Ladakh, a region of the northernmost Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 193 people are reported to have died, five of whom were foreign tourists, after a cloudburst and heavy overnight rains triggered flash floods...
- 2010 Pakistan floods2010 Pakistan floodsThe 2010 Pakistan floods began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan and affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater, approximately...
External links
- Hunza Landslide Relief Support, daily updated information with downloadable GIS data for non-profit use | LOCAL.com.pk
- Complete news coverages and photographs | Pamir Times
- Monitoring blog by Professor Dave Petley, Durham University, England
- Ata Abad Lake on Google Maps, Input Requested from Contributors | ProPakistani
- Google LatLong: Map Makers respond to the Pakistan landslides
- Landslide Lake on Hunza River Overflows into Spillway - Earth Observatory (NASA)
- http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/road-trips-vacations/129700-hunza-disaster-gojal-karakoram-highway-glaciated-mother-every-epic-drive Thread on Hunza Gojal Lake
- http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/landslide_lake_in_pakistan.html Landslide lake in Pakistan, Boston.com big pictures