Several areas in Gilgit Baltistan’s (GB) Ghizer district have been cut off for five days, as preparations are underway to clear the Gilgit-Shandur road, authorities said on Tuesday. Since late July, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country, especially in its northern regions like GB, by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. According to locals, majority of the areas in the Ghizer district, including Gupis, Phander, and Yasin tehsils, remained stranded for five days as five kilometres of the region’s main road were submerged by an artificial lake formed at Raushan village in Ghizer. Local resident Meraj Ali Shah told Dawn.com that 300 houses had been damaged by the glacial flood, with houses submerged due to artificial lake in Hakis, Thangi, and Raushan villages as they remained without basic necessities. He added that hundreds of people had been displaced when a glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) swept everyth...