"Hunza Disaster - Gojal" Karakoram Highway: The Glaciated Mother of Every Epic Drive!

[ToofaneBatameezi]

The thread is also dedicated to the disaster that struck this beautiful valley. Please join in to collaborate in anyway you can.




Jalopnik covered the Karakoram Highways of Pakistan. So I am sharing with you all. Feels good to see them love our Country!!



For the ultimate in road trips, choose the highest paved road in the world. The Karakoram Highway is 800 miles of mountain road connecting Pakistan with China across some of the tallest mountains in the world.



Take the one towering above that perilously vertical Pakistani art truck. It’s called Nanga Parbat and it’s the ninth highest mountain in the world. Also known as the Killer Mountain, its flanks have seen the death of a mountaineer for every four who have ascended its 26,660-ft peak. The highway is named after the Karakoram, the Western reach of the Himalayas, which span the confluence of India, Pakistan and China. Home to five of the fourteen eight-thousanders, the longest glaciers outside the polar regions and a vicious conflict between India and Pakistan fought in 20,000-ft mountain passes, it’s the perfect place for an epic road.




Stretching 800 miles between Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, and Kashgar, an ancient Silk Road city in China’s Wild West, the Karakoram Highway was constructed between 1966 and 1986, claiming a life for every mile.



Leaving Islamabad to the north, the road winds its way toward Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan territory. Between the towns of Chilas and Gilgit, it passes within 15 miles of Nanga Parbat, then snakes into ever more forlorn regions of Pakistan to top out at the 15,400-ft high Khunjerab Pass.



It’s the highest point on the road and the highest paved mountain pass in the world, home to yaks, Chinese border guards and snow leopards. The road continues for another 300 miles on the Chinese side, passes more huge mountains, skates the Taklamakan Desert, then arrives in Kashgar.



As you can imagine, driving its length is not a Sunday afternoon cruise on an Upstate New York parkway. For long stretches, the Karakoram Highway is a thin ribbon of a road blasted into mountain faces, crowded with trucks, taxis, motorcycles, 4×4’s and humans. There are landslides. There are avalanches. And in hot summers, meltwater from the glaciers floods the road.



At least the Pakistanis have the sense of humor required on roads that reach into the very clouds. “RELAX – SLIDE AREA ENDS,” proclaims this sign photographed in 1995, which makes one wonder about the precise nature of the SLIDE AREA itself.



I would love to conclude with a tale of a personal crossing, but that will have to wait. Should you find yourself in Pakistan with time to kill and a Jeep in your possession, give it a shot for all us plains-bound Jalopniques—and please post your tales of landslides, avalanches and scary mountains in the comments.



The Karakoram Highway: The Glaciated Mother of Every Epic Drive - Infrastructure - Jalopnik

[DeeDee]

@Bash.... thx for updates but it seems like information not reaching the media or else....

any news from Wajahat????

[Basharatu]

Thank you Sarmad. Referring to statement regarding Media, i didn't see much coverage by the media till the end of Feb on this, all of the efforts were done by the locals.

[Basharatu]

Finally some coverage on Aaj Tv, they did the same yesterday in program bolta pakistan. Its a 1 hr program and 45 min were "wasted" in election results which other channels were doing too, hunza got coverage of 10-12min. (Following is the summary)

Today Cable operators of gilgit closed the transmission of other channels 4 hrs as protest to not highlighting the issue. People of Sishkat (which is now a island in this lake) complaint in that program regarding food supply.

Mr. Nazir Sabir a great mountaineer from Gojal also called in the program who visited shimshal and other villages where road connection has been blocked via heli and dropped medical related stuff.

As per the press conference held today in Islamabad, authorities are giving mid april as time line for the building the spill way. Another news on Aaj was regarding the people settled on the river bed (200 feet) till tarbela have been alarmed for the potential disaster.

[qwertypoiu]

^^ yes i saw it last night.

and as they told it posses a great danger...

[SuhaibKiani]

@Baharatu: Thanks for keeping us all updated. What are the road conditions are like these days for travelling to this area? How far away is the place from Gilgit? Does one stay in Karimabad for the night if one is to drive up there?

[Basharatu]

@Suhaib Kiani, KKH is in poor shape, the patch from Thakot till Sazeen hasnt been repaired much since Bhasha dam project, travel by car is not recommended, however it wouldn't hurt yours CJ or Ehsan's wagoner. It takes around 15Hrs till Gilgit from Islamabad if there are no land slides, I remember it was 9-11Hrs drive till 2003 by car.

To summarize above, its not recommended to travel by road till Gilgit, taking the flight is the best option (PKR 6,100 is current return ticket price), you have to count on your luck for the weather. Price of Airfare is less than the amount of diesel your ride will be consuming. From Gilgit you can get a descent NCP PRADO with or without driver @ reasonable price for the journey ahead.

Gilgit to Karimabad is another 3.5-4Hrs drive again due to bumpy road, this also was a beautiful road to drive till Khunjrab 3-4 years back. From Karimabad it was 35min drive till Ata Abad land slide which has blocked Hunza River.

If you go by Air, you can visit the Gojal area and come back in Karimabad for the night stay.

[imtishal]

@Basharatu

I assume most ppl travel in group (4-5 ppl) hence the traveling expense divides.so i believe that jeep will still be cheaper then going by Air.
2ndly, how much a NCP prado will cost??and how will one can dispose it off and we can't bring her here..(rest of Pakistan)

[Basharatu]

its rent varies from 1800-2500/day in the current season based on the variant U choose 3dr or 5dr. Yes going in a group will save cost, there are 2-3 bus service options available as well but it gets really tiring.

I didn't get your second query, can you reiterate?

[ToofaneBatameezi]

Got word from Jalopnik: Obsessed With The Cult Of Cars.

They will cover the disaster in a story next week.

Here's what an editor wrote back to me:

Dear Baber,

Thank you for letting me know about this disaster. We’re definitely
going to publish a post on it next week, if only because this is not
something that our American audience sees very often.

It was my pleasure to sneak some photos of Pakistan’s mountains into
my automotive work. I hope that I’ll make it over to your country one
day. I grew up with giant black-and-white pictures of Muztagh Tower
and K2 on the wall of my father’s study—they have left quite an
impression.

Best regards,

Peter Orosz

I am pursuing more folks(friends) from within the Pakistani media to have a story on it.

[Basharatu]

Great Job Toofan, keep it up!

I am leaving for Gojal Today, right now pk 605 and will reach Gilgit by 8am, a jeep will take us to Atabad Slide from there. Will share the details once back on Monday IA

[DeeDee]

@Bash.... Drive safe boy.....
Himat-e-mardaan..... madad-e-khuda....

[DeeDee]

talked to Basharat as he landed safe and now heading towards attabad....

[ToofaneBatameezi]

Good luck Basharat bhai!!

[Raheeln]

Gojal:

YouTube - Save GOJAL/HUNZA

[Raheeln]

Boat trip to Ayeenaabad:

YouTube - A boat journey to Ayeenabad.mov

[Basharatu]

@Raheel, Thank you for sharing videos

[Basharatu]

Members from Islamabad: Asad Mehmood Sheikh, Ali Ahmed Sarwar, Basharat Ullah Khan
Members Joined From Gilgit & Hunza: Mr. Farhad (A Civil Engineer working on the assessment of Potential Disaster with the local authorities & FOCUS), Mr. Farhan (A friend from mining industry), Mr. Afsar Jan (A resident of Ayeenabad whose land & home has submerged in the lake, I will be uploading his Interview)
Destination: Gojal Lake {Ayeenabad, Sishkut, Ata Abad}, Karimabad, Nagar, Hoper Valley, Nultar, Gilgit
Total Time: 48 Hrs

-Islamabad to Gilgit By Air-
-Gilgit to Karimabad, Ata Abad By Jeep-
-Ata Abad to Ayeenabad By Ship-

Dear All,
I am back from the disaster site, size of the land slide is humongous and huge boulders mixed with glaciated black clay has blocked the river flow. The lake size itself was huge and it has the potential to double its current water capacity before the water flow starts from the channel which is being prepared. Yes, the authorities were too slow to respond to this huge disaster which now has a potential to wash away everything which is 200 feet above the old River Hunza water level till Gilgit. Since all of the Bridges constructed on KKH are on narrowest passes, so the water current and height would be even higher on the bridges to wash them away.

Our Information source Mr. Farhad, a Civil Engineer who was working on the estimates on the rise of water level in valleys on the downstream and marking the water level points (in case the natural barrier brakes from the bottom). Other Source of information was a team of Agha Khan Foundation who travelled with us on the same plane we took from Islamabad to Gilgit & locals of Ata Abad, Ayeenabad and Gulmit. Another international Team reached Gilgit today (as per Farhad they were probably from IMF, PamirTimes would have exact update on this) & we have heard that National Geographic is also reaching Gilgit tomorrow.




We have also taken pictures of the LAKE, Ata Abad Slide & valleys on the way & I will post the same once they are uploaded in my machine from memory card and re-sized for posting. Hopefully from tomorrow onwards.

[Basharatu]

its rent varies from 1800-2500/day in the current season based on the variant U choose 3dr or 5dr. Yes going in a group will save cost, there are 2-3 bus service options available as well but it gets really tiring.

I didn't get your second query, can you reiterate?

A little correction, Drive Time Till Gilgit from Islamabad is now @ 20Hrs-22Hrs. Rent of Jeep was 3k/day, it may increase during the season!

[DeeDee]

@Basharatu.... welcome back lets here the full story....

[SuhaibKiani]

Many Thanks Basharat....do tell us more when you have a moments as to what you feel is doable at our end? Is there scope for helping the peopl ein any way? If so what are the possible things that we can do to help?