Melting glaciers add to miseries of Broghil residents

One of the valleys hard hit and cut off after its track was washed away is the Broghil valley. Due to the recent flooding in the local Gols, the narrow jeep-able road at Kishmanja was washed away 10 days ago. It may be mentioned that the portion of the track at Kishmanja was rebuilt by the local people on a self-help basis in May this year. However, now the damage is so extensive that the repair work can only be carried out with the help of heavy machinery such as a bulldozer which is not available in the whole area. Village council Broghil nazim Amin Jan Tajik told ChitralToday correspondent here that the area in the north of Kishmanja, spreading over 60 kilometres, was facing a crisis after the road was damaged. He said the residents were facing a severe shortage of food items while in case of an emergency patients were not able to get even first aid. He said a few days ago, the 25-year-old wife of Baig Jan died during delivery of a child due to the lack of medical facilities in the area. The nazim also said the health department Chitral did nothing to provide treatment to people suffering from typhoid, malaria and other diseases in the valley. He said the increase in the melting of glaciers in the north of Chitral had added to the miseries of the people of Broghil. He said the movement of the residents had become restricted due to the blockades of tracks after flooding in the rivers and streams in the area. He said cattle, the main source of income for the people of the area, were also dying due to the shortage of fodder. The area is of great importance due to its proximity to Afghanistan and China and Central Asia. The valley has lots of glaciers such as Chiantar which are the main sources of water for whole country. But, unfortunately, the successive governments never gave any importance to the development of the area, he complained.—Muhkamuddin]]>