Safety of tourists: Cutting of glaciers started in Kaghan

MANSEHRA: Authorities on Wednesday started cutting glaciers that had become hollow because of the rapid weather changes in the Kaghan Valley here.“We have cut such seven glaciers which had become hollow because of the rapid melting of snow in hot weather at Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad, and Lake Roads in Kaghan Valley,” Asad Shahzad Khan, the assistant director of Kaghan Development Authority, told reporters.

The machines started cutting and grounding glaciers to ensure the safety of visitors as two tourists from the Rajanpur district of Punjab were buried alive when a glacier which had also become hollow collapsed at Saiful Muluk Road earlier this week.

“We had cut such glaciers twice earlier in this season for the safety of visitors and police have been deployed as well to restrict mobility of visitors nearby but even then two tourists were buried alive,” he said.

The official said seven glaciers including Sarmai, Chitta Khatta, Goria, Saiful Muluk Road and three others at MNJ Road up to Soach were cut or grounded for the safety of the visitors.“More than 30 small and giant glaciers still fall in the Kaghan Valley and all those which have gone hollow because of climate changes might be grounded during ongoing operation,” the official added.

The assistant director said the rest of such glaciers which were located along the MNJ Road up to Babusar Top would be cut by the National Highway Authority.“The MNJ Road, which links Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan, falls in the NHA domain and we have taken up this issue with them for an early cutting of hollow glaciers,” he said.

A technical committee constituted by the KP government is yet to release its findings on an incident in which giant avalanches rolled down and damaged over two dozen hotels, huts and structures in Naran the commercial hub of Kaghan Valley earlier this year