Chitral Today Correspondent
YARKHUN VALLEY, May 1: Residents of Khruzg village in Upper Chitral’s Yarkhun valley are once again bracing for flash floods this summer, as their village remains threatened from three sides due to recurring natural disasters.
The village has suffered repeated losses over the years due to flooding from Dizg Gol and Mahting Gol. Last year, flash floods also emerged from dry nullahs between the two streams, hitting the entire settlement and destroying houses, orchards, and agricultural lands.
In the aftermath, PTI Upper Chitral President Shahzada Sikandarul Mulk and MNA Abdul Latif visited Khruzg. Former president of the Ismaili Local Council, and notable of the area, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, presented two proposals on behalf of the affected people for their resettlement and long-term safety.
The first proposal was to relocate the families to Khotanlasht, where barren land is available and could be developed with government support. The second was to help the villagers settle in Karimabad, where many already own land. This would only require construction of a road, access to water, and financial assistance to build homes.
\”Khruzg has become extremely unsafe due to its exposure to multiple flood channels,\” Zulfiqar Ali told ChitralToday. \”Not only are our properties at risk, but our lives are also in danger, especially at night when flash floods can hit without warning.\”
Despite public assurances from the two visiting PTI leaders that they would take up the two resettlement proposals with the authorities, a year has passed with no visible outcome.
As another summer approaches, the people of Khruzg fear they may once again suffer the consequences of official inaction.
The residents have appealed to the district administration and the provincial government to urgently implement one of the two resettlement plans and begin work on flood protection infrastructure before more lives and livelihoods are lost.
According to earlier reports by ChitralToday, the Water Resources Department had proposed construction of protective embankments along Dizg Gol to safeguard Khruzg and nearby areas. However, no significant progress has been made on it so far. Locals have repeatedly called for urgent work on the embankments, but authorities have failed to act, despite repeated appeals and on-ground assessments.