Description of the emergency
ACT member Church World Service- Pakistan/Afghanistan reports that the lives of thousands of families in northern Pakistan are facing acute danger as an artificial dam created by landslides earlier this year threatens to breach its banks and create massive flash floods. More than 14,072 displaced persons have already been registered, while 25,000 have been evacuated as a precautionary measure from areas at risk. ports that vulnerable families are being moved with only basic household items, livestock and food stock which will be sufficient for only two or three days.
In January 2010, a series of landslides in the Hunza valley in the mountainous Gilgit Baltistan province resulted in two villages falling into the Hunza River, the blocking of the river and the creation of an artificial dam. The Pakistan Army's Frontier Works Organisation has built a spillway to prevent the dam being breached. However, the water level is continuing to rise rapidly at a rate of 2.8 feet per day. The length of the dam's area has extended from 3km to 18.5km. The dam is forecast to overflow on the 27-28th May, and may lead to flash floods up to a distance of 400 km downriver. The scale of the impact of this disaster will be dependent on the water speed and wave height.
Vulnerable areas identified by the local authorities include Allai Tehsil in Battagram Districe, Kala Dhaka Tehsil in Mansehra, Besham and Martung Tehsils in Shangla, and 30 villages in Kohistan. 18 camps for displaced persons have been set up, including in official buildings and schools, and up to a month's supply of food rations have been stockpiled. Some are choosing to stay with relatives.
While the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)'s mobilisation of a relief response and donor pledges are strong for Hunza and Gilgit districts, substantially greater gaps in assistance will need to be met in Kohistan and Shangla. This includes tents, gas stoves and cylinders, bedding materials, and food packages. There is also an acute need for doctors, ambulances, medicines and medical supplies across all of the areas.