17 October 2010
Updated: Attabad – NDMA make a full set of reports available online, plus an article in the Economist
Posted by Dave Petley
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) in Pakistan have now made four reports about Attabad available online here. These are as follows (with the correct links to each):
- The dam break study undertaken by NESPAK.
- A report by Alessandro Palmeiri, from the World Bank
- My report on the landslide.
- A report by the Geological Survey of Pakistan dating from before the landslide event about the hazards at the site.
Interestingly, although my report is included NDMA have not asked my permission to post it there, and nor did they inform me that they had done so. Indeed, at no stage have they communicated with me about Attabad, beyond a single line reply to an email that I sent to them. However, I am pleased that my report is easily available.
Update: The Economist has today also published a short article on Attabad, which is available here. Meanwhile the Express Tribune reports that the long-promised compensation will finally be paid to the local population, and that deepening the spillway will start within a month. Finally, there are two Attbad related papers being presented at the forthcoming AGU conference in San Francisco:
- Hunza Landslide and Monsoon Flooding in Pakistan Call for International Attention to Transboundary Natural Hazards by J. S. Kargel; W. Fink; R. Furfaro; G. J. Leonard; M. Patterson.
- Satellite Monitoring and Characterization of the 2010 Rockslide-Dammed Lake Gojal, North Pakistan. by G. J. Leonard; J. S. Kargel; R. E. Crippen; S. G. Evans; K. B. Delaney; J. F. Schneider
Dave, are you surprised that they did not ask for your permission? I am not surprised at all. The Pakistani establishment rulers are well known liars, thieves and cheats.
Whatever characteristics one may attribute to NDMA, there is one I would not: Grateful.
I am happy that all reports relating to Attabad have been made public. These would add to body of knowledge relating to large landslides in rural mountain areas.This landslide is something I feel will be talked about in professional circles for a long time…..ie what went right and what went wrong, the mitigation/monitoring work that an NGO can do in major disaster like FOCUS did relating to Attabad and how your blog acted as window to the world.Jim