Gilgit:
A local shepherd’s timely warning proved a lifeline for the entire population of Roshan Village in the Ghizer district that saved them from a devastating flash flooding early Friday morning when the state’s frightened flood alerts once again called Hollow, proving a little more than dead weight.
The incident has resumed the debate on the wisdom of original knowledge in the unforgivable terrain of Gilgit-Baltistan, where nature often calls the shots.
Officials confirmed that Roshan, who located about 200 kilometers from Gilgit, was completely submerged. Although no life was lost, the residents lost all their household content and livestock.
According to villagers and local authorities, tragedy was only averted because of the shepherd’s presence of mind. While prone to his cattle in the mountains, he noticed signs of an imminent flood.
With the help of his cellphone, which happened to have a working SIM card, he immediately warned the villagers. His timely invitation received a mass evacuation just moments before flooding water increased through the settlement.
“He’s our Savior. We all slept and would have met a tragic fate if he hadn’t informed us,” said Shakir Hussain, resident of Roshan Village. “A simple shepherd did what millions of rupees worth of equipment couldn’t. All the expensive machines in the name” Early Warning “is useless.”
In recognition of his quick thinking, senior police officer Faisal Sultan Sultan Shepherd RS10,000, while the local community Muller over honoring him with a medal.
The vigilance of the shepherd has thrown in sharp relief from the shortcomings of the government’s early warning (EWDs). Despite being installed on a large bill across GB to give timely warnings about floods and glaciers lake outputs (GLOFS), the systems could not sound the alarm during the recent floods claiming 40 lives, leaving many more wounded in areas where the devices were in operation.
The incident in Roshan reflects another event in Gulmit, Gojal, where approx. 60 volunteers managed to escape a flash river at the last minute after traditional observation methods gave them a critical heads-up.
In a speech with Express Pakinomist, the GB government spokesman Faizullah Pharaq also put a price on the role of the shepherds.
The events have led to a community -based vigilance.
One proposal that gets traction is to institutionally recruit and equip local individuals as shepherds, especially during the dangerous summer months, as formal ‘society’s sentinels’ or community -based volunteers for early warning.
Such a program involving a modest pay and communication tool would represent a minimal expense, but could potentially save millions in infrastructure and, more importantly, countless life.
