Attabad Lake ( ur, ) is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
located in the
Gojal
Gojal ( Wakhi: , Kyrgyz: ), also called Upper Hunza, is situated in the north western part of Pakistan. It borders China at the Khunjerab Pass, and Afghanistan at the Chapursan valley. In 2019, Gojal Valley became the second Sub-Division wit ...
region of
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...
in
Gilgit−Baltistan,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. It was created in January 2010 as the result of a major landslide in
Attabad. The lake has become one of the biggest
tourist attractions in Gilgit−Baltistan, offering activities like boating,
jet-skiing, fishing and other recreational activities.
Formation
The lake was formed when
Attabad village in
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...
in
Gilgit−Baltistan had a landslide, upstream (east) of
Karimabad that occurred on 4 January 2010. The landslide killed twenty people and blocked the flow of the
Hunza River
Hunza River ( ur, ) is the principal river of Hunza in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan It is formed by the confluence of the Chapursan and Khunjerab ''nalas'' (gorges) which are fed by glaciers. It is joined by the Gilgit River and the Naltar ...
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 of the
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
. The lake reached long and over in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding
Gulmit
Gulmit ( Wakhi/ ur, ), also known as Gul-e-Gulmit, is a town that serves as headquarter of the Gojal, also known as Upper Hunza, in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountains, peaks and glaciers. It is ...
. The
subdivision of
Gojal
Gojal ( Wakhi: , Kyrgyz: ), also called Upper Hunza, is situated in the north western part of Pakistan. It borders China at the Khunjerab Pass, and Afghanistan at the Chapursan valley. In 2019, Gojal Valley became the second Sub-Division wit ...
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
The Karakoram Highway ( ur, , translit=śāhirāh qarāquram; known by its initials KKH, also known as N-35 or National Highway 35 ( ur, ) or the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway) is a national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in ...
.
[ Karakorum Area Development Organization (KADO), Aliabad]
By 4 June, water outflow from the lake had increased to .
Water levels continued to rise in 18 June 2010 caused by a difference in the outflow and inflow of the new lake. As bad weather continued, the supply of food, medicine and other goods was stopped as all forms of transportation including helicopter service to Hunza could not resume.
Aftermath of landslide
Victims of the landslide and expansion of the lake staged a sit-in protesting the lack of government action and compensation payments to them.
As a result of the damming of
Hunza River
Hunza River ( ur, ) is the principal river of Hunza in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan It is formed by the confluence of the Chapursan and Khunjerab ''nalas'' (gorges) which are fed by glaciers. It is joined by the Gilgit River and the Naltar ...
, five villages north of the barrier were flooded. One village, Ayeenabad, was completely submerged. Major portions of another village, Shishkat, was also submerged. Around 40% of the village of Gulmit, which also serves as the headquarters of Gojal Valley, was also submerged. Significant portions of land in Hussaini and Ghulkin villages of Gojal also got submerged as a result of the surging lake.
The entire population of central Hunza and Gojal valley (Upper Hunza), up to 25,000 individuals, were affected as a result of the lake, due to difficulties of road access and reaching business markets and loss of land, houses, and agricultural products.
Attabad Lake was visited by former Prime Ministers
Yousuf Raza Gillani
Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive #Disqualification and ouster, disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of P ...
and
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...
, and by the
Chief Minister of Punjab,
Shahbaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...
. Sharif announced Rs 100 million of aid for the victims from the Punjab government and Rs 0.5 million for the relatives of those who died in the landslide.
Areas downstream from the lake remained on alert
[ ] despite some officials believing that a major flood scenario was less likely as the river began flowing over the landslide dam during the first week of June 2010. Many people have been evacuated to 195 relief camps. Two hospitals downstream, the Kashrote Eye Vision Hospital and the
Aga Khan Health Service, evacuated both their staff and equipment.
Some officials had incorrectly predicted that as soon as the lake began flowing over the landslide dam, an wave would hit the areas immediately downstream.
As of 14 June 2010, the water level continued to rise. ''
Dawn News
Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group.
The test transmission of the station occ ...
'' reported that "242 houses, 135 shops, four hotels, two schools, four factories, and several hundred acres of agricultural land" had been flooded, and that villagers were receiving food and school fee subsidies. They reported that of the Karakoram Highway and six bridges were destroyed.
Frontier Works Organization blasted the spillway of the lake first on 27 March 2012 and then on 15 May 2012, lowering the lake's water level by at least .
Karakoram Highway realignment
Part of Karakoram Highway was submerged due to this landslide. On 14 September 2015, the Prime Minister of Pakistan,
Mian Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...
, performed the inauguration of the realigned patch of KKH containing five tunnels at Attabad Barrier Lake. The five tunnels are known as the Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels, and are collectively long. They are part of the long portion of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was damaged in 2010 due to land sliding at Attabad. The realignment project is a construction masterpiece completed at the cost of $275 million. The
realignment restored the road link between Pakistan and China and it is expected that significant amount of trade will be conducted between China and Pakistan using it. The KKH is also a part of the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and is expected to significantly increase economic integration between those two nations.
See also
*
Tangjiashan Lake – formed by a landslide caused by the
2008 Sichuan earthquake in
China
*
Sarez Lake
Sarez Lake (russian: Сарезское озеро; tg, Сарез кӯл, Sarez Kūl) is a lake in Rushon District of Gorno-Badakhshan province, Tajikistan. Length about , depth few hundred meters, water surface elevation about above sea leve ...
– formed by a landslide caused by the
1911 Sarez earthquake
A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* J ...
in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
*
Red Lake – formed by a landslide caused by the
1838 Vrancea earthquake
Events
January–March
* January 10 – A fire destroys Lloyd's Coffee House and the Royal Exchange in London.
* January 11 – At Morristown, New Jersey, Samuel Morse, Alfred Vail and Leonard Gale give the first public demonstration ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
*
2010 Pakistan floods
The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's tot ...
*
List of lakes of Pakistan
Pakistan is home to many natural and man-made lakes and reservoirs. The largest lake in Pakistan is the Manchar Lake. The lake is spread over an area of over .
The highest lakes in Pakistan are the Paristan Lake and Shimshal Lake, which both a ...
References
External links
Landslide Lake on Hunza River Overflows into Spillway – Earth Observatory(NASA)
{{Waters of Pakistan
Lakes of Gilgit-Baltistan
January 2010 events in Pakistan
2010 floods
Landslides in Pakistan
Government of Yousaf Raza Gillani
Landslide-dammed lakes
Landslides in 2010