Landslide cuts crucial China-Pak road link,hits military supplies

The closure of the Karakoram Highway has badly affected the high-volume trade between Pakistan and China as well as military supplies. The highway connects the Gilgit-Baltistan area with Xinjiang province in China and has remained a source of military and strategic concern for India since it was built as a Sino-Pak friendship highway. Four years back,the two countries had agreed to further broaden the 1,300 km-highway.

The massive landslide in January,coupled with melting of glaciers in the last month or so,has posed the biggest challenge to Pakistani authorities since the highway was constructed. Engaged in campaigns against terrorist outfits on its western border,the Pakistan army has been on high alert over the past few days over a possible breach in the lake.

Pakistan Army engineers are looking at building a bypass on the Karakoram Highway to re-establish connectivity. Reports indicate that boats are being sent across submerged sections to ferry goods.

With the closure affecting military supplies from Beijing to Islamabad,a Chinese defence delegation recently visited Pakistan to discuss alternative arrangements.

Its believed that two bridges on the highway,at Gulmit and Shiskat the former an engineering marvel are now submerged. The extent of damage and the possibility of building a bypass quickly can only be explored once there is a breach in the lake and the water drains out. By Pakistans own estimates,outflow currently is less than 200 cusecs while the inflow is 2400 cusecs. There is little over 100,000 acre feet water in the lake and Pakistans estimate is that the lake cannot hold more than 112,000 acre feet. So the breach is imminent any day.

As and when the breach occurs,Pakistans disaster management authorities have estimated that 35-40 villages may be washed away. Some 40,000 people have apparently been evacuated to avert major loss of life.

Chinese engineers,along with Pakistans Frontier Works Organisation,have constructed a spillway,but work on that too has been affected because of fear of more landslides.

The entire highway has always been viewed as an environmentally dangerous project given that it was built through an ecologically sensitive area and Pakistan,in fact,lost over 800 workers during the construction phase largely due to landslides.

Thereafter too,landslides have continuously disrupted movement on the road. But special arrangements have been made by the Pakistan army to ensure that the road is not blocked for a long time. Pakistan is also concerned about the possible collection of silt in the Tarbela dam,where the water from the lake would flow.