Met fears more glacial floods

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) fears that the country might face more flash floods triggered by a glacier lake outburst flooding (GLOF) as one of its kind wreaked havoc in the country's northwest district of Chitral, an official said Tuesday.

Manzoor Ahmad, official of the PMD from the district told Xinhua that the department has predicted that more glaciers could burst and cause floods if the prevailing heatwave continued in the area.

According to the official, a flash flood triggered by a GLOF hit Golen Gol valley in Chitral on Monday and destroyed crops, several homes, a water supply system and a powerhouse. "The valley's highland has 10 glaciers, which are hypersensitive and can explode anytime. We have observed and are receiving continuous reports from locals from the concerning areas that the glaciers are melting speedily due to ongoing hot weather," said the official, adding that local people have already started moving to safe places.

Local media quoting locals reported that the sudden flood with a high current of water washed away four bridges and the three-kilometer long portion of the only road connecting the valley with other area and left more than 500 families stranded in the mountains.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of the district Hayat Shah told media that nobody can enter or leave the valley because it was disconnected from other areas and only helicopter can reach the stranded people.

Earlier in June, the PMD issued a warning about the possible glacial outburst in the region after a flood caused by a glacier outburst destroyed a couple of villages in Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan region in north of Pakistan.