Landslides close Karakorum Highway near Chilas, cut Gilgit power channel

Landslides caused by heavy rain have closed the Karakorum Highway near Chilas and damaged the water channel of a hydropower station that supplies Gilgit city, The Express Tribune reported.

Two trucks loaded with solar panels stood on the blocked highway for at least 24 hours, the newspaper said. The second landslide, in Ghizer district, cut generation from one of the plants feeding the regional capital.

The Express Tribune reported that both slides followed heavy rain, and that landslides in 2025 caused damage of more than Rs20 billion across seven districts. Local estimates that count farm losses and damage to energy infrastructure put the figure at nearly Rs30 billion.

Gilgit-Baltistan runs largely on hydropower, and floods, landslides and glacial lake outbursts repeatedly damage channels, water intakes and other installations. The region's 46 hydropower plants had a combined capacity of 17.18 MW in 2009 and 65.319 MW in 2025, according to the report.

In March 2026 the federal government allocated 58 MW of solar capacity to Gilgit-Baltistan, 40 MW for households and 18 MW for small businesses and the IT sector. The free panels were meant for almost 148,000 homes. A ballot picked 15,733 families, of whom 12,008 collected the equipment and 3,725 left their panels sitting in warehouses, the paper said.

A working system also needs an inverter, a battery, wiring, mounting, transport and installation. The Express Tribune put those extra costs at between Rs90,000 and more than Rs180,000 depending on the system and the location, and said one selected participant in Gilgit was quoted Rs150,000 for a battery and an inverter.

Shortages bite hardest in winter, when output from hydropower plants falls. A panel without storage can supply power by day but cannot light a home after sunset, the report said.

Equipment reaches the region by the Karakorum Highway, and landslides in Kohistan or Diamer can halt fuel, food, construction material and solar gear for days. Villages far from the road pay more for transport, for technicians to install the systems and for later servicing.

A 54.24 million euro rural development and climate resilience programme for Gilgit-Baltistan is to cover every district and about 43,200 households, with clean water, renewable energy and infrastructure built for a changing climate.