Artificial lake forms in Gilgit, houses submerged after glacier melts

Another artificial lake has been formed in Gilgit-Balistan region, after a small glacier melted into Barsuwat Nullah at Ishkoman valley of Ghizer district on Thursday, blocking the flow of Immit River.

Due to the melting of the glacier, many families have been affected as more than 30 houses have been submerged and hundreds of cultivated lands got inundated, damaging the crops, local media reported.

Moreover, the land routes connecting to upper parts of Immit have also been blocked due to land sliding. According to the residents of Ghizer district, no support has been given by the authorities.

The current heatwave has also contributed to the melting of the glacier. The snowfall did not happen on time in last winters and instead the region received snow fall from February to March (the end of winter season) because of which the snow could not convert into glaciers. Due to this, when heat rises in summer, the snow starts melting, resulting in floods and avalanches.

According to the stats provided by Reuters, almost half of Pakistan’s 5,000 glaciers, covering around 15,000 square kilometers, are in rapid retreat and the rate of melting glaciers has increased by 23 percent which is among the fastest in the world.

Back in January 2010, a similar incident took place in the region due to which an artificial lake was formed, called Attabad Lake. The lake was formed due to a massive landslide in Attabad village, Gojal valley, in which many families were affected while access to the village via road was also blocked after the lake submerged half of the village, including the roads.