9 May 2010
The landslide at Attabad – new videos of the spillways and the drowning land upstream
Posted by Dave Petley
The lake behind the landslide at Attabad in Hunza, Pakistan continues to fill, meaning that we are probably only a fortnight or so away from the maximum point. I have not had an update from either NDMA or FOCUS for 48 hours, so am unsure as to how things have developed in the last two days. However, The Pamir Times has tonight posted three videos on Youtube that are worth watching. The first shows the spillway on 8th May:
This shows just how close to the top of the dam the water level has now reached. The second and third show the impact of the rapidly rising water level:
The sight of people destroying their own homes to recover building materials is pretty dreadful. Remember that most people in this area live on the basis of cash crops, and that their only real assets are their buildings, their land and their crops. For this reason, regardless of what happens at the spillway, the Attabad landslide is a disaster for the people of Gojal.
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
So stupid of people to destroy their own homes to recover building materials when they might resurface in a few weeks!
Pretty harsh words when you actually include the word "might" in your comment.
Mr. Anonymous, you are right with your limited yet stupid knowledge. First it is not gonna surface, because the building material-soil or sand & cement- will be dissolved and wood become useless… just for your knowledge… It is not somewhere in UK or USA….
Because you haven't built a house with your own. In Hunza, there is no Lowes or Home depot from where people can buy building material. Popular is usually used to build houses which take 15-20 years to become a reasonable size. Basically, the affected community is trying to save wood which can be reused.
so said so stupid to the people to hunza . first of all i think you dont about the hunza. second thing you cant imagine how they collect all the things which are required for making a house or building. you dont know their source of income. but i know you can just pass comments and nothing else. and that is true. its not possible to resurface in a few weeks as u said in two or three words. you dont know about the massive distruction.jahangir dinal hunzai
the new trend on which whole world believe is sustainble development,and i guess recovering material of material is one of the sane step taken by people of our area.come out of your own shell mr anonymous
Spare the poor guy guys … everyone makes a strange comment once in a while.I have a question, apart from the negative aspect of all the landslide, is there a positive side as well i.e. can the water accumulation be used for irrigation downstream or hydroelectric power?Thx
Thanks Mr.Dave for helping us make this issue known to the people worldwide.Ali Gojali
@Mr. Shahid, the government is not able to make a spillway to release water how can you think of pak govt to make a dam. for your information its a land slide area
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