Kayani visits Hunza, promises army help
HUNZA, May 11: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited Hunza on Tuesday amid tight security to assess the threat posed by a lake formed after rocks and earth from a landslide on Jan 4 blocked water of Hunza River.
Addressing a public gathering at Gulmit, the headquarters of the affected Gojal tehsil, Gen Kayani said that Pakistan Army was making all possible efforts to ensure release of water from the artificial lake without further damage.
Gen Kayani said that engineers were developing a spillway in a systematic manner to avert a sudden outburst of the lake which could devastate and submerge downstream areas. He said the water would start overtopping by May 25.
He said the government had not yet paid a penny to the army and more than Rs80 million had been spent on the excavation work, adding that it would take time to restore the KKH and the idea of constructing a tunnel at the disaster site was also under study. He announced that large boats would ferry goods across the lake.
Army officials briefed the COAS about the progress on the excavation works. Gen Kayani lauded the work done by the FWO personnel in very difficult circumstances and against heavy odds.
The army chief was informed that the army was running a boat service across the lake to ensue supply of food and essential items to landlocked Gojal Tehsil.
The army chief directed the FWO to complete the task as soon as possible.
The announcement of inadequate amount of compensation has however created frustration among the local people who have lost everything. They have demanded of the government to ensure proper compensation to mitigate their suffering. The landslide in early January killed 19 people and blocked the Hunza River and the KKH.
The artificial lake has already submerged 15 kilometres of the strategic Karakoram Highway, bridges in Ayeenabad, Shishkat and Gulmit, thousands of kanals of land, domesticated plants, more than 90 houses, two community centres, one school and a dispensary.
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