35 Dead, Hundreds of Homes Damaged as Floods Devastate Gilgit-Baltistan
The Gilgit-Baltistan Advocacy Forum (GBAF) has expressed deep concern over the escalating impacts of floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which continue to endanger lives and livelihoods across the region.
According to GBAF, as of August 22, 2025, at least 35 people have lost their lives, while 7 remain missing in Diamer district. The disasters have also damaged 992 houses including 318 completely destroyed, 674 partially damaged, and 37 seasonal dwellings.
District-wise Breakdown:
Diamer: 15 deaths, 7 missing, 462 houses damaged.
Ghizer: 8 deaths, at least 3 houses fully damaged in Khalti.
Gilgit: 8 deaths, several houses damaged, including 5 in Bagrot.
Shigar: 1 death, 19 houses damaged.
Ghanche: 60+ houses damaged, 50+ destroyed in Kondus.
Hunza: 50+ homes at risk/damaged in Hassanabad and Gojal.
Skardu, Kharmang, Astore: verification of numbers underway.
The Forum cautioned that actual figures could be higher due to widespread under-reporting, adding that early warning systems installed in hazard-prone areas largely failed, leaving communities without timely evacuation alerts.
Call for Immediate Action
The GBAF urged the Gilgit-Baltistan government and the Gilgit-Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GBDMA) to declare a climate emergency, activate a unified command, and dispatch mobile medical units, food supplies, safe drinking water, and shelter to worst-hit communities.
Key recommendations include:
Rapid evacuation of families from high-risk zones.
Frequent advisories through radio, print, and electronic media.
Enrolling affected families into BISP and other social safety nets.
Gender-sensitive relief: segregated and well-lit tents, privacy partitions, and safe sanitation facilities.
Ensuring maternal and child healthcare, menstrual supplies, and nutritional support.
Inclusion of persons with disabilities and women-headed households in relief planning, with home deliveries where needed.
Engineering interventions at Shishper Glacier to create a safe outflow path for impounded meltwater.
Recovery and Preparedness
The Forum stressed the need to rebuild homes and infrastructure to safer, climate-resilient standards, sustain social protection measures, ensure continuity of education through temporary learning spaces, and strengthen early warning and evacuation systems.
GBAF also appealed to the federal government, humanitarian agencies, and international donors to step up immediate assistance and long-term resilience support for Gilgit-Baltistan.
