United News of Bangladesh

Seven volunteers were killed and three others injured early Monday when a massive mudslide struck while they were repairing a drainage channel damaged by recent flash floods in northern Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, officials said. The mudslide hit the town of Danyor at dawn, with rescuers recovering the victims’ bodies and transporting the injured to a nearby hospital, said Faizullah Faraq, a regional government spokesperson. The disaster followed a glacial lake outburst flood on Sunday that damaged the crucial Karakoram Highway passing through Danyor, disrupting traffic and trade between Pakistan and China. Engineers, workers, and heavy machinery were deployed to begin repairs, Faraq added. Several landslides also occurred near the highway, damaging homes in Danyor and surrounding areas. First responders evacuated affected residents to safer locations and distributed essential food supplies, local police chief Hassan Ali said. Flooding and mudslides in southern Japan cause missing persons Sunday’s glacial lake outburst caused the Hunza River to swell and triggered flash floods that destroyed crops. Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage, Ali added. Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chief Minister Gulbar Khan called the deceased “heroes who sacrificed their lives for the community” in a statement Monday. The region is home to scenic glaciers that provide about 75 percent of Pakistan’s stored water, according to official sources. Last month, flash floods and landslides killed 18 tourists in the area. Experts said glacial lake outburst floods occur when water trapped by glaciers is suddenly released due to collapsing ice or debris barriers. Rising temperatures linked to climate change are accelerating glacier melt in northern Pakistan, increasing the size and number of such lakes. A recent study by World Weather Attribution found rainfall from June 24 to July 23 was 10 to 15 percent heavier due to global warming. Pakistan, which produces less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gases, suffers disproportionately from extreme weather. In 2022, the country’s worst monsoon season killed over 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage. Since June 26, rains and floods have killed more than 300 people nationwide.

The recent devastating floods ravaging the country’s north and northeastern regions caused damages worth over Tk 86811.65 crore, said State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md. Enamur Rahman on Monday. The flooding was triggered by torrential rains from second week of May in the north and eastern region, said the minister. Heavy rainfall in the bordering Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam and onrush of uphill waters aggravated the flood situation, he added. Enamur was talking to reporters following a meeting of an inter-ministerial disaster management coordination committee’  at the Secretariat. Also read: Govt to build 1,000 flood shelters: Enamur “The water level of Surma was flowing above its danger mark from May 13 due to the torrential rains and onrush of hilly water from the upstream, causing flood in Sylhet, Sunamganj and other adjacent areas which spread to 18 districts of the country,” he said. The damages include crops worth over Tk 1258,53 crore (full)  and of Tk 55957.21 crore (partial), he said. Besides, houses worth Tk 368.84 crore have been damaged fully while partially damaged houses worth over Tk 1355.03 crore, he added. The damages to bridges, culverts, paved and dirt roads, schools, colleges and madrashas, mosques, temples and embankments have been estimated at Tk 86811.65 crore, said the minister. Also read: ADB to help govt recover losses from flood The government has allocated 7.20 thousand metric tonnes of rice, Tk 09.44 crore in cash, 1.40 lakh for dry foods, Tk 40 lakh for baby food, Tk 40 lakh for fodder,  Tk 2.61 crore for houses and 8,7000 bundles of corrugated iron-sheets for building houses from April 1 to July 21, he said. The death toll from the  floods in the country rose to 129 in the past 24 hours till Monday morning.

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Monday said that the government took different initiatives to reduce the Tk 349 crore damage primarily caused by the flood.