Rescuers reach out to flood-hit people of Golen valley

CHITRAL: The glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) has disconnected small villages and hamlets in Golen valley of Lower Chitral for the second consecutive year.

The flood on Monday morning damaged houses, a mosque, bridges and roads besides washing away standing crops. The villages were cut off from each other making it almost impossible for rescuers to reach and help them.

Rescue 1122 on  Tuesday said it set up a medical camp at Bhaka village and also constructed a bridge over a stream to make access to the flood-hit area and rescue the stranded people.

Last year too, flash floods devastated the Golen valley, washing away houses, crops, roads and bridges along with water pipelines for other areas including the Chitral town.

The Met Office and other departments had earlier this year reported about glacial lakes building up in the area and warned of flooding. However, no tangible steps were made to cope with the aftermath of the situation.