“But I think for three days the major flood is not likely as the outflow is still very low,” Zameer Abbas said, adding that it doesn’t mean that the breach of lake would never happen. “The danger is still there and we are aware of it,” he said.

Noor Aftab adds from Islamabad: Water in Attaabad Lake is continuously rising and submerging many other areas in Ainabad, Sheeshkat and Gulmit areas. An official said overflow of water is currently too low and if it increases more than 1,000 cusec per second that it would increase width of spillway and touch nearby rocks that would eventually fall into the water and help reduce flow of water in case of total water outburst.

According to a non-governmental organisation, Focus, for the past three months three geologists, a geographer, and two volunteers along with the government officials have been monitoring the lake with the help of CCTV cameras and other instruments.

It has installed early warning sirens at the most vulnerable locations that would be triggered by the district administration in case of a huge flooding event that might result from the erosion of the lake barrier. Helicopters of the Army, NDMA and the Agha Khan Foundation have been deployed in the disaster affected region to provide transportation services to people stranded because of the blockade of Karakoram Highway and cessation of the boat service.