ISLAMABAD, Jan 7 (APP): Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan, former Deputy Chief Executive Gilgit Baltistan has celled for turning the Attaabad lake disaster into an opportunity by generating 20 Mega Watt of electricity from the reservoir. “I have presented a written application to the Prime Minister during my meeting with him on December 15 in this regard requesting the Premier for initiating a 20MW of electricity sufficient to meet the demand of entire Hunza district of Gilgit Baltistan”, he told APP here. Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan observed that Gilgit Baltistan including Hunza district were facing shortage of electricity which was hampering the economic activities in the area also affecting the resources of livelihood of the people.
He said the Chief Secretary Gilgit Baltistan has also prepared a feasibility report for the construction of 20 MW electricity on the site of Attaabad lake.
Mir Ghazanfar also expressed the hope that after the construction of the 20 MW electricity the shortage of electricity on the area would be reduced and would added electricity in the system in other parts of the area.
Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan said that the contract of this project of 20 MW electricity generation from Attaabad lake be given to China which is a sincere friend of Pakistan and would complete it well in time.
The Former Deputy Chief Executive also appreciated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for launching Youth Loan Programme in the country and hoped its would help bring a revolution in the socio economic prosperity of the people of the country including the people of Gilgit Baltistan.
He also appealed the Prime Minister for the relaxations in terms for loans provision to Gilgit Baltistan as the youth of the area are very hardworking but poor.
It may be mentioned here that Attaabad Lake, Gojal (upper Hunza), is a lake in the Gojal Valley of northern Pakistan created in January 2010 by a landslide dam.
The lake was formed due to a massive landslide at Attaabad village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad that occurred on January 4, 2010.
The landslide killed twenty people and blocked the flow of the Hunza River for five months.
The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, stranded (from land transportation routes) a further 25,000, and inundated over 12 miles (19 km) of the Karakoram Highway.
The lake reached 13 miles (21 km) long and over 100 metres (330 ft) in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding Gulmit.
The subdivision of Gojal has the greatest number of flooded buildings, over 170 houses, and 120 shops.
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