PoGB administration’s ignorance creates survival crisis for locals amid flood-like situation in Chilmishdas

A severe flood-like situation in the Chilmishdas area of Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan has unearthed the administration’s ignorance towards infrastructural issues of the local people. A seasonal river that flows in the region is on the brink of destroying the local electricity supply lines of Gilgit City, local media reported.

Notably, the local administration is now making repairs and adjustments on the eleventh hour as the flood approaches Gilgit City. Meanwhile, the locals complained, that all this could have been avoided, if the administration had constructed a gabion wall to stop the flooding water, which was already approved in 2022, according to Pamir Times.

A local activist from POGB said, “We were requesting the administration to undertake this task before monsoon. But no one listened to us at that time”. However, the local assistant commissioner in the Pamir Times report seemed to avoid a question relating to delay of the project by stating that the tender could not be passed for the project due to some technical reasons.

However, Ilyas Siddiqui a local politician in the Pamir Times report mentioned “This is not the first time that such situations have arisen. In 2022, we had faced a similar flood-like situation here. At that time we had urged Khalid Khurshid (the Former Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan) for a visit. He had temporarily sanctioned a gabion wall of 1000 feet for us. After his visit, he had ordered an extension of the same, but the administration did not bother to complete the task in due time, despite taking all the needed measurements the actual construction of the wall is still due. And now when the flood is approaching they are making temporary adjustments. Now there is this tower which is about to crash in this river and if this happens Gilgit city’s electricity will be hindered for at least a month and the local administration will be responsible.”

A similar flood-like situation was witnessed in the outskirts of Skardu and Shigar districts of PoGB, at that time also the local administration had failed to arrange any rescue or help for the general public.

At that time the floods had destroyed private property and houses for the poor individuals.

It is pertinent to note that floods in these specific areas are a severe threat, as most of the local population primarily depends upon agricultural occupations for income. Notably, floods in PoGB have destroyed several houses and also destroyed the road infrastructure in the area, which was already in bad condition.