Published on: August 24, 2025 12:55 PM
A 7-km (4-mile) lake in northern Pakistan, created by a mountain mudslide, is threatening to burst and unleash potentially “catastrophic” floods downstream, officials warned on Saturday.
The mud flow descended into the main Ghizer River channel and blocked it completely on Friday, creating the lake in GilgitBaltistan province, the National Disaster Management Authority said.
The blockage created a “dam-like structure” that poses a significant threat of bursting, it said in a situation report by its provincial office.
The new lake “can cause a catastrophic flood”, said Zakir Hussain, director general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
Four downstream districts – Ghizer, Gilgit, Astore and Diamer – face a serious threat, he told Reuters.
Ghizer is north of the mountain districts in northwest Pakistan where floods triggered by the worst of this year’s monsoon rains and cloudbursts have killed nearly 400 people since August 15.
A video shared by the national authority on a WhatsApp group where it issues statements shows black mud sliding down the mountain before landing in the river. Reuters could not independently verify the video, which an official at the authority said was shot by residents.
Similar mud flows landed in the river from different mountainsides, said provincial government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq.
A shepherd on higher ground, the first to spot the mud flow crashing down, alerted villagers and local authorities, he said. As a result of the warning, he said, nearly 200 people in dozens of scattered houses tucked in the mountainsides and the river’s surroundings were rescued.
The lake has started discharging water, meaning the threat of a burst is receding, but flash floods in downstream districts cannot be ruled out until the lake is completely cleared, Faraq said.
The communities downstream have been directed to stay on high alert and vacate areas along the river, he said.
Floods across Pakistan have killed 785 since the monsoon started in late June, the national authority said, warning of two more rain spells by September 10.
NDMA warns of downpours
The National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has issued a comprehensive weather alert forecasting heavy rainfall and potential flooding across multiple regions of Pakistan from August 23 to 30, after more than 780 people have died across the nation in rain-related incidents this year.
According to the NEOC, three rain-bearing systems are expected to enter the country during this period, likely triggering widespread downpours and elevating flood risks in vulnerable areas.
An NDMA official shared a data with Business Recorder on Saturday, which showed that monsoon rains have so far claimed 785 lives across the country including that of 469 men, 117 women and 199 children.
From August 23 to 25, more torrential rains accompanied by strong winds are expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab, with urban flooding feared in low-lying zones and landslides likely in hilly terrain. Northeastern Punjab districts – including Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Mianwali, Khushab, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujrat, Hafizabad, and Mandi Bahauddin – are forecast to receive heavy rainfall.
Urban flooding is also anticipated in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Narowal, Talagang, and Chakwal.
