The Disaster

Attaabad Lake is a landslide dam lake in the Hunza/Nagar Valley of northern Pakistan created in January 2010. The lake was formed due to a massive landslide at Attaabad village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 14 km upstream (east) of Karimabad that occurred on January 4, 2010. The landslide killed twenty people, buried and inundated the Karakoram Highway and blocked the flow of the Hunza River for five months. The lake flooding displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, stranded (from land transportation routes) a further 25,000, and inundated over 19 km of the Karakoram Highway. The lake reached 21 km long and over 100 meters in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding Gilmat. The subdivision of Gojal has the greatest number of flooded buildings, over 170 houses and 120 shops. The residents also had shortages of food and other items due to the blockage of the Karakoram Highway.

NDO Support

NDO support activities at Camp No. 1

With the expected disaster in lower areas of Hunza, Nagar and Gilgit districts, the Government of Gilgit Baltistan set up Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) camps in disaster prone areas.  The researchers/ historians referred it as the biggest displacement in the history of Gilgit Baltistan.  To cope with the challenges and consequences of the disaster, the NGOs extended support and services to the IDPs. Each NGO initiated its own program according to their to their own capacity and need of the IDPs.

The IDPs Camp at Jutal, Gilgit district was one of the main IDPs camps in terms of population (800 households). As most of the IDPs in this camp were from Nagar NDO set up a free medical relief camp staffed with paramedics along with a round the clock Ambulance service.  Beside, the services of  physicians, Medical, Child and Skin specialists were acquired on a voluntary basis to serve the people on a daily basis . Among those Dr. Jauhar Ali Khan, Dr. Basharat Ali  and Dr. Fidal Ali rendered remarkable services during this critical time period. They examined more than 640 patients of various nature/diseases in camp No.1, 2 and 3. NDO also provided free medicines to the patients during their entire stay in the camps.

NDO's well equipped Ambulance was there 24 hours a day to transport /carry patients to the Danyore and DHQ Hospital  at Gilgit. Some 64 patients of critical nature were shifted/ transported to different extended medical facilities in Gilgit and Danyor.  NDO has also donated medicines specially for children use to the medical unit in Camp No.1.

A camp school was also set up by NDO in Camp No.1 (Jutal) where 280 students were engaged in educational activities.

Supporters

Force Commander Gilgit Baltistan (right) and Chairman NDO (left)

A  large number of visitors attended the NDO medical relief camp. They included:

1. Force Commander Gilgit Baltistan.
2. Chief Secretary Gilgit Baltistan.
3. Ms. Marvi Memon, Member National Assembly.
4. Mr. Iftikhar Hussain, Information Minister, NWFP.
5. Deputy Commissioner, Gilgit
6. Mr. Mirza Hussain, Member Legislative Assembly GB.
7. Mr. Aftab Haider, Member Legislative Assembly GB.
8. A team of World Food Organization

Special Thanks

The NDO management is pleased to have served the people and feels immense pleasure in providing relief to the affected people in partnership with the Government of Gilgit Baltistan and other NGOs in this difficult situation.