Hazard assessment for an expected dam break flood in the Hunza Valley, Pakistan: A combination of GIS, Remote Sensing, and computer simulation techniques

In January 2010, a huge landslide blocked the Hunza Valley (Pakistan), destroying the village of Attabad and claiming dozens of lives. Behind the dam created by the landslide a lake is continuously building up, which had a length of 12 km in the middle of March 2010. The stability of the dam is considered as critical and an outburs of the lake is expected, though works are going on to build an artificial spillway. The project aims at a hazard assessment of the possible outburst flood, using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques in combination with computer modelling od the dam break and the propagation of the flood. Estimates of the temporal development of the flood will be given, and threatened areas will be delineated in order to support emergency evacuation. The project is embedded in an international network to mitigate the risk emanating from this hazard, including universities, NGOs, and the government of Pakistan.