A local shepherd’s timely warning proved a lifeline for the entire population of Roshan village in Ghizer district, sparing them from a devastating flash flood early Friday morning, as the state’s vaunted flood alerts once more rang hollow, proving little more than dead weight.
The incident has reignited debate over the wisdom of indigenous knowledge in the unforgiving terrain of Gilgit-Baltistan, where nature often calls the shots.
Officials confirmed that Roshan, located some 200 kilometres from Gilgit, was completely submerged. Although no lives were lost, residents lost all their household belongings and livestock.
According to villagers and local authorities, tragedy was averted solely because of the shepherd’s presence of mind. While tending to his cattle in the mountains, he noticed signs of an imminent flood.
Using his mobile phone, which happened to have a working SIM card, he immediately alerted the villagers. His timely call prompted a mass evacuation just moments before floodwaters surged through the settlement.
“He is our saviour. We were all asleep and would have met a tragic fate had he not informed us,” said Shakir Hussain, a resident of Roshan village. “A simple shepherd did what millions of rupees worth of equipment could not. All that expensive machinery in the name of ‘early warning’ is useless.”
In recognition of his quick thinking, senior police officer Faisal Sultan awarded the shepherd Rs10,000, while the local community is mulling over honouring him with a medal.
The shepherd’s vigilance has thrown into sharp relief the shortcomings of the government’s Early Warning Devices (EWDs). Despite being installed at great expense across G-B to give timely alerts of floods and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), the systems failed to sound the alarm during the recent floods that claimed 40 lives and left many more injured in areas where the devices were operational.
The incident in Roshan mirrors another event in Gulmit, Gojal, where approximately 60 volunteers managed to escape a flash flood at the last moment after traditional observation methods gave them a critical heads-up.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, G-B government spokesman Faizullah Faraq also appreciated the role of the shepherd.
The events have led to advocating for a community-based vigilance.
One proposal gaining traction is to institutionally recruit and equip local individuals such as shepherds, particularly during the perilous summer months, as formal ‘community sentinels’ or community-based early warning volunteers.
Such a programme, involving a modest salary and communication tools, would represent a minimal expense but could potentially save millions in infrastructure and, more importantly, countless lives.
