Sherry Rehman warns of GLOF in northern areas due to high heat

Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman warned Thursday of more glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in the northern areas due to high heat, saying water discharge from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Badswat valley is very high, Geo News reported.

Rehman's warning came after a glacial outburst in Chitral, where two suspension bridges near Arkari village in the Garam Chashma area were washed away.

According to The News, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed the development, adding that teams had been sent to the area to help local people, who used bridges to cross a storm surge flowing below.

"No loss of life or property damage was reported. However, the floods have damaged wheat and other fruit crops in the area," said PDMA.

Senator Rehman, in a tweet, said that so far a wooden bridge connecting Bilhanz to Matramdan has been washed away.

“Therefore, the GB administration has been advised, DDMA & community alerted that the population at Damas Khari is also vulnerable," she tweeted.

What is GLOF?

GLOFs are sudden events that can release millions of cubic meters of water and debris, causing loss of life, property and livelihoods among remote and impoverished mountain communities.