By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Intense floods triggered by cloudbursts and heavy monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, causing widespread destruction, loss of life, and displacing thousands as the country grapples with a relentless wave of extreme weather.
The latest deluge struck Ghizer and Hunza districts on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters that swept through communities and left a trail of devastation. The Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) reported that heavy rainfall inundated Khatam village in Ghizer’s Gupis Valley, blocking the vital Ghizer-Shandur Road and damaging agricultural land and private properties.
In upper Hunza, the floods dealt a severe blow to Ghalapan village in Gojal, where an irrigation channel critical to the region’s ecosystem was heavily damaged. Residents said the channel supports more than 50,000 forest trees, raising concerns about long-term environmental impacts. The scale of the disaster prompted the Gilgit-Baltistan government to declare 37 villages across the region as calamity-hit areas.
A notification from the GB Home and Prisons Department detailed the breakdown: 12 villages in Diamer, nine in Gilgit, five in Ghizer, four each in Skardu and Shigar, two in Ghanche, and one each in Nagar and Kharmang.
GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said in a statement that the floods have inflicted an estimated Rs20 billion in damages across the region. “The floods have destroyed infrastructure, homes, agricultural land, and public utilities,” he said. Faraq reported that 22 vehicles were swept away by the raging waters, while 10 people, mostly tourists, lost their lives. Four individuals sustained injuries, and between 10 and 15 tourists remain missing. Search operations are underway, though challenging conditions have hampered efforts.
More than 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed, alongside vast swaths of agricultural land, crops, roads, bridges, and both public and private infrastructure. The losses threaten the livelihoods of thousands in this rugged, mountainous region. In response, the Gilgit-Baltistan government has launched emergency and rehabilitation operations to assist affected communities and restore critical services.
Details of the relief efforts remain sparse, but officials have signaled an urgent need for resources to address the mounting crisis. The floods in Gilgit-Baltistan are part of a broader wave of extreme weather battering Pakistan since June.
Cloudbursts, glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs), and intense monsoon rains have claimed lives and caused widespread damage across the country. Gilgit-Baltistan, with its remote villages and fragile infrastructure, ranks among the hardest-hit regions, facing a disaster that has tested its resilience.
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