Karakoram Highway – the Attabad Lake

The Karakoram Highway is both famous and infamous for its hardcore landscape posed with unforeseen happenings for travelers who dare to trespass it. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass, the 4700m highest point of the 1300km Karakoram Highway, is technically open from May 1 to November 15 every year. Unexpected heavy snow during winter can shut the highway down for days. Rock fall hazard especially during rainy weather is also not uncommon. Seasonal heavy monsoon rain is very likely to trigger landslides that can bring disaster to the region.

On January 4, 2010, a massive landslide took place at 2pm Pakistan time at 15km upstream from Hunza valley’s peaceful town of Karimabad, eventually created a potentially unstable lake named Attabad Lake which had reached 22km in length and over 100m in depth by the 1^st week of June the same year when it began to over flow the landslide dam. Over 20km of the Karakoram Highway along the Hunza valley had been submerged under water, including 310m long bridge 4km south of Gulmit, resulted in total break off to both locally and internationally traffic in which only locally made propeller-driven small wooden boats can be used to ferry the villagers as well as for all logistic purposes. Tens of thousands of people had been displaced.  

Pakistani trucks are waiting to be unloaded by porters at Hussaini

The porter

Small wooden boat is the only means of logistic since the landslide

Part of the Gulmit town is under water now

Locally made propeller-driven small wooden boat

Only pier columns of a newly planned bridge to cross over the lake have been constructed

Part of the Karakoram Highway which now leads to the underwater world 

The most beautiful place is always the most dangerous place

The chaotic jetty at the other side of the lake which was abruptly named the Bloc. It’s around 2 hours boat ride from Hussaini.

Only sturdy carriers like 4WD Jeep and tractors can be used to negotiate the rough terrain of the mountain landscape

The construction of the alternative road linking back to the Karakoram Highway is under way

Note: The construction of a new bridge spanning across the lake has been under way and yet it’s far too slow in the making. According to a local in Gulmit whom I sipped an afternoon tea with, the natural disaster and the ensuing relief and reconstruction mission have turned out to be an international political agenda. Keeping a blind eye from the locally inflation due to the rise of logistic cost, decline of tourism to all kind of inconveniences induced by the lake, the American is putting pressure on Pakistani government to slow down the construction of the new bridge which, once linked back the Karakoram Highway, would bring favor to the Chinese who has been reconstructing the Karakoram Highway at Pakistani side for free.