Gilgit:
A timely warning of a local shepherd turned out to be a rescue buoy for the entire population of the village of Roshan in the Ghizer district, saving them from a sudden devastating flood early Friday morning, while the flooding alerts praised by the state did not sound new, hardly prove more than dead weight.
The incident has rekindled a debate on the wisdom of indigenous knowledge on the ruthless terrain of Gilgit-Baltistan, where nature often calls for blows.
Managers confirmed that Roshan, located about 200 kilometers from Gilgit, was completely overwhelmed. Although no life was lost, residents have lost all their household effects and their cattle.
According to the villagers and local authorities, the tragedy was avoided solely because of the presence of spirit of the shepherd. While taking care of his cattle in the mountains, he noticed signs of an imminent flood.
Using his mobile phone, which had a functional SIM card, he immediately alerted the villagers. Its appropriate appeal caused a mass evacuation for a few moments before flood waters launched through the colony.
“He is our Savior. We are all sleeping and would have met a tragic spell if he had not informed us,” said Shakir Hussain, a resident of the village of Roshan. “A simple shepherd did what millions of equipment rupees could not. All these expensive machines in the name of” precaution “are useless.”
In recognition of his rapid reflection, the senior police official Faisal Sultan awarded the shepherd of 10,000 rupees, while the local community is thinking of honoring a medal.
The alertness of the shepherd has led to the gaps in the government’s early alert (EWD) devices. Although they were installed at great spending through GB to give alerts in a timely flooding and floods of overflowing the glacial lake (GLOF), the systems failed to ring the alarm during the recent floods which cost life to 40 people and left much more injured in areas where the devices were operational.
The incident to Roshan reflects another event in Gulmit, Gojal, where about 60 volunteers managed to escape a sudden flood at the last moment after the traditional observation methods gave them a critical warning.
Addressing L’Express PK Press Club, GB government spokesperson, Faizullah Faraq, also appreciated the role of the shepherd.
Events have led to plead for community vigilance.
A proposal winning the field is to recruit and equip local people such as shepherds, especially during the perilous summer months, as formal “community sentries” or volunteers of early alert based on the community.
Such a program, involving modest salary and communication tools, would represent a minimum expenditure but could potentially save millions of infrastructure and, more importantly, countless lives.
