Junali Koch houses washed away; displaced people need urgent help
BOONI, July 29: The merciless River Yarkhun with the increase in temperature has reached its highest water mark, tearing down houses, cultivated lands, forests and orchards in Junali Koch and other parts of upper Chitral.
The river has washed away more than 150 acres of land within a few days in Junali Koch. The most affected people are now left with nothing to live on. There are five brothers – Roshan Akhtar, Sultan Nasir, Nisar Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Zaheer and Farid Ahmad – along with Mahmur and Dowlat Bai, who have been the most affected. The river also washed away some lands of Bahadar Khan, Sher Khan, Zafar Ahmad, Aziz Ali, Mir Ghazab, Sultan and others having lands along and closer to the river with trifling lose.
We have received no relief at all from the government since 2010 except 10 kg flour. We are living on the verge of merciless waves of the river. It is high time the government in collaboration with humanitarian organizations should construct some shelters for us at safer places, said Farid Ahmad, one of the displaced persons in Junali Koch.Some other people also said they had seen an assistant commissioner and SHO of Booni in the area but they did not provide any support to the displace people. The five brothers are most affected in Junali Koch having remained with nothing to use for sustenance. They had around 100 acres of land with some other properties which were washed away by the river. And Daulat Bai, another affected person, is living in a tent across the Mastuj road.
