Mansehra artificial lake threatens settlements and hotels

MANSEHRA: The artificial lake which was created in the Mahandri area after the flash floods that wreaked havoc in Kaghan and Manor valleys last week is posing a serious threat to settlements and business centres downstream at Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road.

“The water level in the artificially created lake of Kunhar River is rapidly rising to a dangerous level and it could burst anytime as a section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, hotels and shops have so far inundated underneath it,” Shakeel Jani, a resident said.

He said the National Highway Authority (NHA) still seemed indecisive about how it could gush out the water accumulated in the lake over miles.The NHA has started laying the foundation over Manor stream in Mahandri to install a permanent steel bridge at the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road.

The temporary pavement, constructed at the site where the central bridge was swept away over Manor stream at MNJ road, could provide a little relief to stranded tourists and locals as they left both valleys for their respective destinations.

“We have moved in the heavy machines to break the lake (dam) created at the MNJ road into Mahandri and banned mobility of locals and business community nearby to their shops and hotels.

“We hope to soon break this lake without any human and financial losses,” Adnan Khan Battani, the deputy commissioner, told reporters.He said that over 10,000 tourists, stranded in the Kaghan valley since flash floods hit the Manor area on July 30, have left for destinations across the country.

The official said no tourists except for skeleton staff of hotels were present in Naran, the commercial hub of the Kaghan valley.“Around 100 vehicles are still laying abandoned in parts of both Kaghan and Manor valleys as over 150 people were provided safer passage to move out via temporary pavement built at the Manor stream in Mahandri,” he said.

“We have also started the erection of a permanent steel bridge which would take 10 to 12 days to complete,” Battani said.He said entry of tourists into Kaghan and Manor valleys had already been banned until the installation of a permanent bridge.