• Floods damage homes, farmland and orchards; roads blocked
• Babusar Top gets season’s first snowfall as experts warn of changing weather patterns
GILGIT:
asserted
experts → damage → patterns
Cloudburst-induced floods blocked the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and other roads, damaged farmland and properties and disrupted electricity supply in Ghizer district on Saturday.
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floods → induce → Saturday
Flash floods triggered by heavy rain caused damage to houses and crops in several areas of Ghizer in the early hours.
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floods → trigger → hours
The floods wreaked havoc in Naubahar village, damaging Gushgush Jamaat Khana.
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floods → wreak → Khana
They also destroyed crops, fruit trees and agricultural land in the village.
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They → destroy → village
Floods in various areas blocked the road from Immit to Barjangle and damaged electricity transmission lines along the route.
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Floods → block → route
Residents were cut off from other areas following the blockade and demanded that the administration take emergency measures to reopen the affected road and provide immediate assistance to flood victims to compensate for their losses.
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administration → cut → losses
Meanwhile, according to the Gilgit-Baltistan police spokesperson, the KKH was completely closed from Sost to Khunjerab Top due to landslides.
uncertain
KKH → accord → landslides
He said relevant agencies were working to restore the highway.
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agencies → say → highway
Tourists have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel in view of the situation.
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Tourists → advise → situation
The tourism police said the section of the KKH between Murtazaabad and Hassanabad village in Hunza had been reopened for traffic after being blocked by landslides.
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section → say → landslides
Panic among residents
While intermittent rain, thunderstorms and lightning have continued across Gilgit-Baltistan since Aug 1, locals said they had never experienced such downpour.
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they → continue → downpour
Waseem Baigal, a resident of Gilgit, told Dawn that thunderstorms and heavy rain caused panic among locals.
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thunderstorms → tell → locals
He said he had never experienced such heavy rain and thunderstorms in his life.
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he → say → life
However, he added that the rain had not caused any damage in his area.
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rain → add → area
Meanwhile, continuous rainfall has brought down temperatures across Gilgit-Baltistan.
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rainfall → bring → Baltistan
According to the Diamer district administration, Babusar Top received snowfall on Saturday morning.
uncertain
Top → accord → morning
It was the first snowfall of the season, but vehicular traffic continued on Babusar Road.
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traffic → continue → Road
According to the GB Disaster Management Authority, the region experienced 120 floods triggered by cloudbursts and melting glaciers from June to August this year.
uncertain
region → accord → August
The floods destroyed dozens of homes, farmland, orchards, trees, irrigation channels and roads, besides damaging electricity supply systems.
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floods → destroy → systems
Residents in several areas remained stranded for days.
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Residents → remain → days
Experts said the region had undergone a shift in weather patterns, with frequent floods, cloudburst-induced floods, rapid glacier melting, glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and high temperatures.
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region → say → floods
They said the fragile ecosystem of the region was under increasing threat from climate change, while residents living among more than 8,000 glaciers, 300 glacial lakes and mountains faced increasingly severe disasters.
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residents → say → disasters
Ali Ahmed, a resident, said mid-August was traditionally considered the summer season, after which the weather started turning cold.
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weather → say → which
“According to indigenous knowledge, ice started to freeze at high altitudes and the risk of flash floods was over.
uncertain
risk → accord → floods
However, for the last many years, a weather shift has been experienced,” he added.
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he → experience → years
Safdar Ali, another resident, said people in Gilgit-Baltistan were among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
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people → say → change
He said increasing climate-related impacts had created panic among local residents.
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impacts → say → residents
The Aporia
