Chitral, Sept 19, 2025: Flash floods blocked the main Garam Chashma road about 40 hours ago. The entire valley remains cut off from Chitral town.
Farmers now fear massive financial losses during the peak potato harvesting season.
Eyewitnesses told ChitralToday that workers have made little progress in clearing the road. An excavator is operating at Belphok on the Chitral side. Locals said the machine is moving at a snail’s pace. They believe that if work continues like this, traffic may not resume for several more days.
Residents voiced deep concern over the impact of the closure. Potatoes are the valley’s main cash crop. Farmers said they must deliver the harvest to markets without delay. Once dug out, potatoes begin to rot within 24 hours. Any disruption, they warned, would wipe out their hard-earned produce.
Farmers stressed that the crop means survival in today’s wave of inflation. The income from potato sales represents a year’s earnings for many poor families. They appealed to the district administration to speed up the work and restore the road. They warned that every passing hour pushes their entire year’s investment closer to waste.
