Islamabad [Pakistan], August 14 : A glacial lake outburst flood in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) severely damaged the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on Wednesday, stranding hundreds of tourists and travellers, while authorities in the Punjab Province issued evacuation orders for areas along the Sutlej River due to looming flood threats from intense monsoon activity, the Dawn reported.
According to the Dawn, citing Pakistan's emergency service, Rescue 1122, the flood, triggered on Tuesday evening by rapid glacial melting in Gulmit, Gojal and Hunza, caused a torrent to surge through the Juchar nullah in the region, with the flood demolishing a women-run restaurant, a government tourist centre, orchards, farmland, and crucial infrastructure, including electricity and communication poles.
A bridge and segments of the KKH were swept away, cutting off the main route to the Khunjerab Pass and China, with no alternate passage available, the Dawn reported.
A severed fibre optic line has left the area without mobile or internet services, while flooding in the Khunjerab River damaged power lines near Sost, leading to blackouts in nearby areas.
Efforts to reopen the KKH have been hindered by continuing high water levels and landslides, making even foot travel unsafe.
In Hunza's Hassanabad, further damage from the Shishper glacier outburst destroyed two more homes and threatens additional structures, the Dawn reported.
Meanwhile, in Roshanabad Mohallah, power was lost after an electric pole fell, and traffic is now being rerouted via the Sas Valley in Nagar due to the washed-away road.
Elsewhere in PoGB, flash floods in the Shigar district destroyed Dogoro village of Basha, while another glacial lake outburst flood in the Horchas nullah affected crops and blocked the road to K2, the Dawn reported, citing officials.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan's Punjab Province, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed the immediate evacuation of residents along the Sutlej River in Kasur district, anticipating major flooding due to an intense monsoon system forecast for the coming days, the Dawn reported.
The river's water level is expected to surge next week in tandem with the season's seventh--and potentially most severe--monsoon spell, which has already caused 164 fatalities across the province.
A high-level meeting was also held by the PDMA Director at the deputy commissioner's office to review flood preparedness. Drain-clearing and embankment reinforcement efforts are underway, with heavy rainfall forecast in upper Punjab from August 13 to August 17, and continued downpours across the province from August 18 to August 21, Dawn reported.
Urban flooding is also a concern in major cities of Pakistan, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot, while landslides are possible in Murree and Galliyat.
According to PDMA figures, the ongoing monsoon season has so far resulted in 164 deaths, 582 injuries, destruction of 216 homes, and loss of 121 livestock in the region, the Dawn reported.