GILGIT BALTISTAN – Gigantic challenges remain for many in Gilgit-Baltistan as communities continue to grapple with the aftermath of relentless flash floods that began in mid-July. Thousands remain cut off from basic essentials such as clean water, electricity, and safe road access—even as signs of recovery emerge across the mountainous region.
Volunteers and locals have started restoring water channels and clearing blocked routes, offering a limited return to normalcy. The Baltistan Highway has been reopened after being shut near the Roundu Valley, but major routes like the Naltar Highway and the Ghizer-Shandur Road remain impassable in several areas.
In severely affected districts including Ghizer, Skardu, Ghanche, and Gilgit, water shortages are rampant. Residents in Danyor, Skardu, and Ghanche report critical lack of drinking water and irrigation facilities. In Ghanche’s Mazher Haldi village, locals shared how four debilitating floods have rendered entire communities homeless, ruined farmland, and forced families to flee their ancestral homes.
Displaced residents, now sheltered in Payo Thang Haldi, face dire conditions—living without clean water, electricity, sanitation, or sufficient food. Appeals have been made for the area to be officially declared an emergency zone to speed up relief efforts. In Daen village, Ghizer, Rescue 1122 teams have continued evacuations for five consecutive days, using boats to reach the most vulnerable.
Authorities warn that although river levels have stabilised and immediate dangers have receded, the mountainous terrain remains precarious. Early winter snowfall began coating peaks by mid-August, signalling an urgent window for relief and reconstruction work before difficult weather returns.
The flood disaster has had a staggering human and economic cost: at least 39 people lost their lives, while estimated damage has reached Rs30 billion. Over 350 homes were completely destroyed and 600 others partially damaged. Critical infrastructure, including bridges, roads, mosques, and schools, suffered substantial destruction.
The situation in Gilgit-Baltistan underscores the urgent need for continued relief operations, infrastructure repair, and long-term climate resilience strategies to protect these vulnerable communities.
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