Viral images appearing to show Pakistan's Attabad Lake (a turquoise reservoir in Gilgit-Baltistan, formed by a 2010 landslide that dammed the Hunza River) rapidly drying up have been attributed not to water loss but to heavy sedimentation, according to a fact-check by iVerify Pakistan. Silt carried by tributaries, particularly during summer, has steadily encroached on the lake bed, replacing visible water with exposed sediment deposits. A 2024 study by the China Geological Survey confirmed the lake's active water area has gradually reduced since its formation, though the process has stabilised since 2016 and is considered a natural consequence of the lake's proximity to the silt-heavy Hunza River.