Helicopters contniue to shift releief Package to Shishkat and Ayeenabad; main Shishkat-Gulmit bridge about to sink

GBEcho

HUNZA, Shishkat, Ayeenabad, Feb.19: According to reliable media sources,regional government managed to send essentials to the Shishkat and Gulmit to fulfill current demands. Rest of the Ayeenabad including twelve houses and lower areas of Shishkat settlement have been submerged completely. Rising water level on naturally formed lake rose to 170 feet and stretched to about fifteen kilometers long leaving 10 houses submerged in Shishkat village and rest at low altitude have been evacuated.

Relief workers loading relief package into a helicopter for the affectees of Upper Hunza. File Photo, by: Fazal Karim

The water level of blocked water rose to 170 feet and stretched to about fifteen kilometers. The main bridge between Gulmit and Shishkat would be submerged within next thirty hours.
On the other hans, Chief Minister Mehdi Shah has suspended DV, SP, AC and Tehsildar on the demand of protesters and appealed the masses for cooperation in prevailing peace. Protectors had blocked KKH on protest of killings of three people in the incident. Courtesy: Voice of Hunza

Violence in Chilas, 3 Diamir dam affectees shot dead

GBE Watch

Islamabad, February 18: Security forces allegedly opened fire on a group of people affected by the Diamir Dam while they were protesting against the government’s inability to pay compensations to them in Chilas, headquarter of Diamir district. At least three people were killed as a result of the firing while some were reported injured.The enraged protesters pelted NAPWD office with stones and put its furniture and other equipments on fire. A police station was also torched, according to some reports.Work on the dam is scheduled to take place in 2010 but the government has not yet been able to win confidence of the affected people. The local people had been protesting for many days asking the government to pay attention to their demands of rehabilitation and compensation for the loss of property and other means of livelihood caused by the dam, Pamir Times reports.

Nomination of female governor to be hailed: CM

GB Echo

ISLAMABAD, Feb. 19: Syed Mehdi Shah, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan has said that the nomination of female governor would be hailed to fulfil the aspirations of both masses and late Chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Talking to a regional daily,after meeting with Faryal Talpoor, sister of President Zardari at her residence, he rejected the rumors of nominations for a male governor of Gilgit-Baltistan.He said that the newly appoint governor will be from Gilgit Baltistan who has grasp over regional politics. " If Benazir Bhutto has governed country twice and Fehmida Mirza is proving a successful Speaker of National Assembly then why not a female govern can not run affairs of Gilgit-Baltistan," he added. He said that situation will be clear within few days ahead, Daily K2-Urdy reports.

Boat Service may prove vulnerable if boats were not repaired;

life jackets substandard, leakage of freezing water and blowing of downstream icy winds added troubles for travellers, female and children still awaiting for arrangements, FWO, NAPWD, FOCUS, Civil and Political administration and local volunteers doing their most to release blocked water

GBEcho

HUNZA, Attaabad, Feb. 19: The boat service that was inaugurated by Syed Mehdi Shah, Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan and Wazir Baig, Speaker GBLA along home secretary on Sunday is proving troublesome for travelers. According to details, the boat service started its operations recently has added troubles for the travelers due to leakage of water into substandard boats and life jackets being used as prevention measures.


On the other hand, blowing downstream icy winds have added to the difficulties of the travelers. Children and Females stranded on both sides of blocked water are still waiting for arrangements to reach their destinations. Regional government and Civil administration of Gilgit Baltistan has sought boats with the help of NDMA to facilitate commuters to replace chopper service that already suspended due to bad climatic conditions. According to a FOCUS official, who on the conditions of anynamity said, the boats may prove vulnerable due to little relevance to the ecological circumstances adding special boats are required that could bear winds and have least possibility of overturning into water while travelling. Frontier Work Organization(FWO), Northern Areas Power and Works Department (NAPWD), Focus Humanitarian Organization, Civil and political administration and local volunteer organizations are doing their most to release blocked water and to clear Karakorum High Way, with the available machinery, simultaneously. Nevertheless, little arrangements are made for officials and workers working on the side as disaster prevention measures for the sheered rocks on both sides can bring devastation.

Boat service replaces chopper service for communters; Local volunteers and scouts joins should to shoulder in relief work;

FWO and PWD's workers and official busy to remove debris
Monitoring Report
HUNZA, Attaaba, Feb.16: Finally, the boat service was replaced by helicopter service to facilitate commuters stranded for more than a week on both ends-at Aliabad and Gulmit valley. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) operated from the day third of calamity and blockade of water on Hunza River and Karakorum High Way (KKH) to shift people from Upper (Gojal) to central Hunza one hand and essentials of life on the other. Taking opportunity of a comfortable service, many individuals misused the facility by traveling many times without reasons. Consequently, after getting certain proof such tendencies, NDMA imposed strict checking that led to some unpleasant incidents and in response authorities allowed only a single helicopter for airlift operations. Later on, bad climatic conditions caused suspension of helicopter services for more than a week thus stranding hundreds of people in Aliabad and Gulmit in a hope to reach their homes, earnestly. NDMA,with the efforts of civil administration and regional government, succeeded to create an alternative in terms of boat service to facilitate shifting of people from both ends. About ten special boats were sought which reached on Sunday's early morning. Local volunteers, boyscout, members of civil society, NGOs, Northern Areas Public Works Department and Frontier Works Organization joined shoulders to shoulders to make the hard task possible. FWO and PWD officials and workers pawed a jeepable road to western end of artificial lake. Such unprecedented examples are hardly seen when people forget themselves and work for the cause of others. The boats were first taken to bank and droped into lake after being assembled. Chief Minister, Syed Mehdi Shah, Wazir Baig speaker Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, Home Secretary Usman Yunus, Zafar Waqar Taj, Deputy Commissioner Hunza-Nager, Force Commander and other officials visited the disaster site to inaugurate boat service. Talking to the public Syed Mehdi Shah, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan said that the negative impact of land slide and water blockade would not only on Hunza but on the whole Gilgit-Baltistan. He placed emphasis on intelligentsia and geological experts to share their knowledge to cope the disaster effectively. Wazir Baig, during the occasion claimed that government was doing more than any government in past adding traditional opposition brings nothing but hatred. He called on people to help their brothers to get them out of trouble. He rejected allegations of other parties for being apathetic saying government realizes the problems faced by the affectees of Ayeenabad and Shiskat village and vowed to provide them every possible relief to address their legitimate demands according to the situation.

Courtesy: www.voiceofhunza.blogspot.com