xtreme heat in June and July, followed by intense spells of rain across Gilgit-Baltistan have accelerated glacier melt, triggering a chain of glacial lake outburst and flash floods, leaving large parts of the region cut off and struggling.

The sudden surge of water, mud and debris have washed away sections of key roads, damaged bridges and destroyed crops, livestock and homes, wreaking havoc across nearly half of Gilgit-Baltistan’s 14 districts, including Gilgit, Skardu, Nagar, Ghizer, Diamer, Astore and Ghanche. Beyond the immediate destruction, these recurring climate-driven disasters are posing serious challenges to the region’s fragile tourism sector, agriculture and wider development. Communities have been left trapped in a yearly cycle of damage and disruption.

Following the initial flooding in Shigar in June, July brought another devastating blow as a massive cloudburst struck the Chhamugarh nullah. In Chhamugarh, a village located 28 kilometres downstream from Gilgit city, torrents of water, mud and debris roared through the valley, damaging homes, farmland and infrastructure before surging into the Gilgit River. This quickly formed a dangerous temporary lake and blocked the river near Chhamugarh Bridge, which was later successfully drained by the District Disaster Management Authority’s efforts.

According to Immad Ali, a resident of a village in Gilgit, streams and nullahs are traditional sources of irrigation and hydel power generation in most rural areas. “The floods often damage them forcing communities into severe difficulties. Restoring irrigation channels can take one to two months before water reaches the fields again.”

Lacking potable water, villagers, are forced to hire tankers regularly during this period.

“Restoring small hydel power units, typically ranging 500 kW-1 MW, can take as long as two years,” he says. “In the absence of any alternate power systems, life in these remote areas becomes extremely challenging, with residents practically cut off due to the loss of internet connectivity and other essential services while remaining exposed to harsh weather conditions.”

This isolation is not theoretical; it plays out every time a major road is cut off.

The flood surge from the Haramosh Valley swept into the adjoining Skardu region, destroying two bridges of the critical Jaglot-Skardu Road, closing it for over a week, “leaving dozens of cargo vehicles and hundreds of tourists without food, fuel and communications.”

Skardu, a growing but relatively small mountain city with limited emergency capacity and infrastructure, is not equipped to absorb the sudden surge of stranded tourists running into thousands when roads are blocked, says Hussain Asghar, a retired civil servant.

“The key challenge during emergencies is the shortage of food, petrol, diesel and LPG, with limited reserves available for crises,” he says. “Even hotels, restaurants and cafes struggle as cooking fuel and firewood supplies are disrupted when roads from Diamer are blocked. While accommodation is available, many stranded tourists run out of money and the sudden demand makes air travel unaffordable,” adds Asghar.

“Frequent power outages add to the frustration of residents already hit by recurring disasters. Washed-away roads in Upper Shigar have halted mountain trekking, leaving businesses with empty rooms, idle vehicles and declining visitors. Such disruptions risk damaging the region’s tourism image and affecting thousands of people—including hotel owners, transport operators, guides and seasonal workers—who depend on tourism earnings throughout the year.”

In the last decade, largely unregulated construction of houses and commercial structures has expanded along—even in—the riverbed in Jutial and Danyore in Gilgit.

Similar floods damaged roads and bridges in Diamer, Ghizer and Nagar, cutting off remote valleys and leaving communities without essential supplies. Roads that had only recently been cleared were broken again. The Hisper Road in Nagar suffered the worst damage—300 feet washed away at Apiharai and another 800 feet at Bayo Khai—keeping the Nagar Valley disconnected. Passengers and cargo vehicles remained stranded for hours; in some cases, days.

Astore residents expressed frustration after flash floods, GLOFs and a major landslide at Khachak closed the Astore Valley Road, cutting off the district, disrupting essential supplies and hampering restoration efforts. The landslide also blocked the Astore River and damaged infrastructure. Disruptions to electricity, water supplies and optic fibre lines aggravated the isolation of the communities.

Among the biggest challenges facing Gilgit-Baltistan is the growing encroachment of river corridors and adjacent land by real estate. In the last decade, largely unregulated construction of houses and commercial structures has expanded along—even in—the riverbed in Jutial and Danyore in Gilgit.

“Danyore lies at the confluence of the Gilgit and Hunza rivers. The University Khari is among the areas that frequently face flooding,” says Prof Karamat Ali, of the Department of Environment at Karakoram International University, Gilgit. The repeated flooding of settlements such as Danyore illustrates why experts say the region must shift from crisis response to long-term disaster risk reduction.

Prof Ali, whose work focuses on disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in mountain environments, believes that “Gilgit-Baltistan needs to move beyond warnings, last-minute alerts and emergency excavators that help only a little and adopt a complete disaster management cycle to break away from the recurring, annual disaster cycle.”

Mitigation, explains Prof Ali, involves long-term steps to cut the risk itself. This includes structural (and non-structural) interventions to strengthen weak slopes to stop landslides and mudslides; watching glacial lakes to prevent sudden outbursts; protecting roads and bridges from flash floods; and making irrigation systems and villages resilient so the same disasters do not recur with full force. Preparedness, he says, requires getting ready before anything happens: clear evacuation plans, trained local teams, stocked supplies and early-warning systems that people actually practice. Recovery is the longer job of rebuilding homes, restoring water channels, clearing roads and fixing power and communication lines.

Prof Ali stresses that effective response and recovery are only possible when mitigation and preparedness are treated as continuous, year-round priorities with full involvement of local communities.

“Early-warning sensors for glacial lake outburst floods were installed in high-altitude areas without adequate community involvement. As a result, solar panels, instruments and batteries were damaged or stolen, leaving the system non-functional when disaster struck, depriving residents of timely warnings. This made rescue more difficult and costly,” he says.

Beneath the immediate destruction lies a deeper concern: parts of Gilgit-Baltistan are caught in a relentless cycle of floods and landslides, with communities facing devastation almost every year.

Along the Karakoram Highway, the Chilas-Tatta Pani section has faced the same problems almost every year for 10 years. Rising temperatures, heavy rain and weak mountain slopes cause rock falls and mudslides that block the N-35 road at Tatta Pani and Jalipur. Hundreds of vehicles get trapped and fibre-optic cables are severed almost every year. Stranded travellers often go without food, shelter or medical help for days.

Repeat disasters, Prof Ali says, show that without integrated, community-based mitigation and preparedness, response and recovery stay costly and incomplete.

Flash flood emergencies are now becoming a regular, annual feature. Each new temperature spike melts glaciers faster, triggers fresh floods and turns road clearance into an endless cycle—leaving communities trapped between reopened main highways and smaller valleys that remain cut off. Lacking adequate mitigation and long-term rehabilitation, recurring disasters are now affecting not only tourism but also agriculture, living standards and the regional economy.

The writer is a senior The News staffer in Karachi.