By Roshan Din Shad
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, July 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - On hot summer evenings, Khawaja Magbool Hadieri s family used to sit on their home s balcony and relish the cool breeze wafting off the nearby Neelum river.
But these days, after 80% of the river s flow was diverted for hydropower, we re sweating while sitting there, even using an electric fan, Hadieri, 70, a resident of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir capital, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As Pakistan seeks new sources of green energy, officials are diverting rivers through tunnels to harness clean hydropower.
But the diversions are also causing a range of problems, from hotter urban temperatures to water shortages and sewage buildups in riverbeds once rushing with water.
Sweet Tooth igloos overlooking the Attabad Lake. Photo by Adil Marvi
The first five-star hotel in the world at 10,000 feet, complete with a soon-to-be-completed infinity pool is in Hunza, claims its 35-year old owner Ejaz Ahmed Khan of Hard Rock Hunza Resort & Villas.
An expensive treat for those who can afford it, the room rate range from Rs25,000 to 45,000 per night with the presidential suite boasting a Jacuzzi that overlooks white-topped mountain ranges.
A hefty Rs150 million has gone into its construction, not a penny of which has come from banks who refused to finance it, explains its Thailand-based owner who has plans to expand to Karimabad, Skardu, Attabad and Gilgit. Hard Rock is one of the luxury hotels mushrooming up north along with other known names such as Luxus Hunza Hotel and Eagle’s Nest Hotel.
MUZAFFARABAD: On hot summer evenings, Khawaja Magbool Hadieri’s family used to sit on their home’s balcony and relish the cool breeze wafting off the nearby Neelum river.
But these days, after 80 per cent of the river’s flow was diverted for hydropower, “we’re sweating while sitting there, even using an electric fan”, Hadieri, 70, a resident of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir capital, said.
As Pakistan seeks new sources of green energy, officials are diverting rivers through tunnels to harness clean hydropower.
But the diversions are also causing a range of problems, from hotter urban temperatures to water shortages and sewage buildups in riverbeds once rushing with water.
By Roshan Din Shad
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, July 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - On hot summer evenings, Khawaja Magbool Hadieri s family used to sit on their home s balcony and relish the cool breeze wafting off the nearby Neelum river.
But these days, after 80% of the river s flow was diverted for hydropower, we re sweating while sitting there, even using an electric fan, Hadieri, 70, a resident of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir capital, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As Pakistan seeks new sources of green energy, officials are diverting rivers through tunnels to harness clean hydropower.
But the diversions are also causing a range of problems, from hotter urban temperatures to water shortages and sewage buildups in riverbeds once rushing with water.
MUZAFFARABAD: On hot summer evenings, Khawaja Magbool Hadieri’s family used to sit on their home’s balcony and relish the cool breeze wafting off the nearby Neelum river.
But these days, after 80 per cent of the river’s flow was diverted for hydropower, “we’re sweating while sitting there, even using an electric fan”, Hadieri, 70, a resident of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir capital, said.
As Pakistan seeks new sources of green energy, officials are diverting rivers through tunnels to harness clean hydropower.
But the diversions are also causing a range of problems, from hotter urban temperatures to water shortages and sewage buildups in riverbeds once rushing with water.