Sunday 16 May 2010

Sad news from Pakistan

Recently I have heard from some friends in Pakistan who all come from Hunza, in the Karakoram mountains in the Northern Areas (now Gilgit - Baltistan). A couple of months ago there was a big landslide which blocked the Hunza river and has formed a huge lake - 11 miles long and more than 100 metres deep in some places. This has destroyed part of the Karakoram Highway which has disrupted trade between China and Pakistan, and from what I understand some of the more northerly villages have been competely cut off. The water level is rising every day and is threatening to submerge the beautiful village of Gulmit, from where many of my friends come from. And if the lake breaches the dam, which is thought to be likely once the seasonal rains begin, 30,000 people downstream could be affected. The army are currently building spillways, so pray that this is successful. Hunza really was the most beautiful place I have ever visited, and the people among the most friendly and welcoming. It has stuck in my mind as a kind of shangri-la, not only because of the beauty of the place, but also because of the commitment of the people to tolerance and serving others. The village has an exceptionally good school and people have a real commitment to education. But in addition to this, many of those who worked in MIED came from this village and were committed to improving the education in other, more disadvantaged parts of Pakistan.

Photos of the area around Gulmit, I think much of this is under water now, and a Gulmiti house which we stayed in:

5 comments:

carlaregina said...

what a nice blog... Um...Hi! =D i am one of Mr Derick Ng's students. He told us to look at your blog. I rly like it and the pictures are really pretty! Pakistan really looks beautiful! I really appreciate being able to lk at such nice photos!
Carla =D

Saifun Nazim B.S.A said...

Well , firstly .
I'm very impressed by the commitment of the villagers at the beautiful village , Gulmit. The army are also building spillways to make sure that the village will not be submerged by the rising seas. I am also impressed by the good education system .

madaan said...

I FEEL SAD I WISH I COULD HELP BUT I AM STILL TOO YOUNG I WILL HELP THEM WHEN I GROW OLDER

Oh Hui Ling said...

Hi George,

I am a secondary school student from your friend's class-Mr Derick Ng's Class. He just happened to ask us to look at your blog.

Well. I like your blog alot.
Firstly, you mention the website about the information you get.
Secondly, you do not spam or flamming, neither do you waste other's time.
Thirdly, you respect the people in the photos.

Anyway i enjoy reading your post.

hinamori amu said...

hey[;
i am from a secondary school that is called northview secondary school..[:
i am from 1e1..your friend mr derrick ng ks is the form teacher of this class..i just read your post and i find it interesting..[: