Top Five Mountains in Pakistan

While international interest is focussed upon earthquake ravaged Haiti, some other countrywide disaster has almost long past neglected via the world. On January 4th, 2010, a huge segment of the steep slopes of the Palmir mountains gave way causing a big landslide that closed the Karakoram Highway in Northern Pakistan and destroyed maximum of the village of Attabad within the Upper Hunza valley.

More than 20 humans in Attabad and nearby villages are recognized to have died and there are still human beings unaccounted for. An unknown wide variety of injured have been shifted to hospitals inside the nearby cities of Aliabad and Karimabad.

The landslide has completely blocked the Hunza River and a dam is forming that now extends up to twelve kilometres toward the Gojal valley. More than 4 kilometres of the Karakoram Highway is absolutely destroyed and is below meters of rubble, in keeping with a nearby spokesperson, Zulfiqar Ali Khan.

The landslide became so large that it has blocked the Karakoram Highway, positioned throughout the Khunjrav River, at contrary side of Attabad. Locals report thunder like UMBRELLA WATERFALL sounds and that huge clouds of dirt spread over the whole Upper Hunza valley, at times making it hard to peer.

Places of worship, a network center, a college, dozens of residential homes, farm animals sheds, fields, trees and orchards were leveled through the landslide, causing irreparable damage to the financial system of this small hamlet. Food, fuel and medicinal drug are in short deliver and Army helicopters are getting used to ferry in emergency components. About 25,000 human beings live within the reduce off location. The Pakistan Red Cross is now running handy out emergency rations but the rescue attempt is being hampered with the aid of tough get entry to to the area. A small amount of elements is being added in from China over the infamous Kunjarab Pass however this direction is risky throughout the iciness as it’s miles challenge to avalanches. The mountains in the area are notoriously risky because of the proximity of the overlapping Indian and Himalayan plates.

The ever growing dam is causing issues that it is able to subsequently burst its banks and cause destruction similarly down the Hunza Valley. Estimates that the spring soften will accelerate the flow into the deepening lake is inflicting fears of a wash away through past due May. A variety of low mendacity up-flow villages are under threat from the lake and a massive range of families had been evacuated.

Down-circulation groups and bridges are also at threat. Three bulldozers were delivered in to excavate a channel to provide a watercourse and some remedy from the strain. Pakistan FWO and Chinese engineers have arrived on the scene to oversee the challenge, however with the water level growing at extra than 2 feet an afternoon, this is now a race against time.

There has no longer but been time to get right of entry to the impact upon the place however the Karakoram Highway is the best transport hall through the north of Pakistan, Trade and tourism is probable to be critically affected and it isn’t always regarded while the highway can be re-opened. The constructing of the toll road changed into a large engineering feat. It turned into built by using Pakistan and Chinese engineers who in elements, blasted a avenue out of sheer overhanging cliffs.

My wife and I travelled this highway through jeep in 2007 and at that point discovered it one of the maximum dramatic roads that we’d ever travelled over. We spent a number of the time preserving our breath. The story of our travels are recorded inside the paperback Following Marco Polo’s Silk Road published via Marco Polo Press.

The author became born in UK, introduced up in South Africa, married in London to a New Zealander and now lives in Sydney, Australia. He has travelled to greater than 70 countries and is the author of a e-book that describes his travels alongside the Silk Road referred to as Following Marco Polo’s Silk Road.