Local admin nowhere to be seen, affected people look to army for assistance

CHITRAL: As the already haggard road infrastructure has been destroyed by floods, local administration is nowhere to help, forcing people to look towards the army.

But so far the communication and works (C&W) department has not initiated work on the restoration and rehabilitation of the damaged roads.

According to reports, 240 small and major bridges over rivers and streams have been washed away by the floods across Chitral. The road links to Garam Chashma, Murdan, Shughor, Karimabad, Hassanabad, Breshgram, Sosum, Mastuj, Rumbor, Bumborat, Broze, Sheshikoh etc is cut-off and thousands of people are stranded in these valleys.

Newly-elected member of Tehsil Council from Karaimabad Muhammad Ali told this scribe on pone that the main bridge of his area had been damaged at Shoghor while some small bridges were also washed away at Breshgram, Karimabad.

There is no alternative route to the connect the valley with Chitral. He said that there was an acute shortage of edible items and people of the area were forced to travel through mountains to other valleys to get at least some food items.

He complained that no officer of the district administration had visited the affected valley and the residents were totally ignored by the district administration. He appealed to the military officers to provide them edible items on an emergency basis.

There is no electricity, no drinking water, no irrigation water in the Chitral town since July 16 and people of the entire valley are compelled to bring drinking water from fountains and water wells from far-flung areas. The government departments such as Pesco (Wapda), C&W, public health engineering, Water and Sanitation Unit are nowhere to provide assistance to the affected people.

General officer commanding Malakand Division Major General Nadir Khan had visited affected area on first day of flood and he once again visited Chitral on Monday. Food items including sugar, wheat flour, tea, cooking oil and pulses were distributed among the affected people through military helicopters.

ISPR officials along with a media team from Swat also visited the affected areas.   According to a press release issued by the district police officer, Majeed Khan Marwat, the heavy rains and floods have badly damaged infrastructure  like roads, bridges, pipelines of drinking water as well as irrigation channels and power poles all over the district and the general  public are facing great hardships and difficulties.

Roads of different valleys are blocked due to land sliding and floods as well as some areas are inaccessible.