CHITRAL: The wheat stock in warehouses of the food department in Lower Chital has drastically depleted causing fears of acute shortage of the staple grain.
An official of the food department said the main warehouse of the department had a stock of just 2,000 bags (each 100kg) and about 1,000 bags in different godowns across the district, bringing the total to 3,000.
He said in the absence of replenishment for last two months, a grave situation had arisen as fresh arrivals were expected by the next month.
During a session of the Chitral tehsil council last week, chairmen of different village councils had taken up the issue of wheat shortage, and expressed their apprehensions over an imminent ‘famine-like situation’ in the district.
Meanwhile, speakers at a consultative workshop on ‘disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction’ here demanded that specific needs of the disabled persons should be given due weight while planning disaster risk reduction.
Held under the aegis of National Integrated Development Association (Nida), the participants said Chitral was highly prone to natural disasters triggered by climate change, thus increasing the urgency of the matter.
They said due to rampant poverty in the area and lack of healthcare facilities, the number of disabled persons was also on the rise, but they had been neglected in formulation of disaster risk reduction plans.
The speakers included Anwar Baig, Atif Sheikh and Rustam Sheraz representing Nida, while officers of the line departments and representatives of stakeholders were also in attendance.–Dawn