Destroyed water channels to be restored in Chitral

CHITRAL: The clearing of the flood-hit channels would be completed before the advent of summer in the district, an official said on Wednesday.Deputy Commissioner Osama Ahmad Warraich visited the Ayun village, which had suffered a lot in the 2015 floods in the landlocked district.

The stones and debris brought by floods had blocked the Chitral River, submerging hundreds of acres of agricultural land in Ayun village. He said the rubble left from the floodwater had resulted in the closure of a dozen of channels.

The official said the government with the financial support of European Union was spending Rs340 million under the Community-Driven Development (CDLD) project. He said that under the Poverty Alleviation Initiative another Rs100 million would be provided for carrying out uplift work in Ayun Union Council. He said a big share of the Rs100 million would be spent on the projects affected by the recent natural calamities in the district.

Executive Engineer Irrigation Department Chitral Muhammad Zubair Khan informed the deputy commissioner that clearing of channels in Bamburet and Rambur was in full swing. Assistant Commissioner of Chitral Altaf Ahmad Chachar, Additional Assistant Commissioner Drosh Basharat Ahmad, Deputy Superintendent of Police Zafar Ahmad and others were also present on the occasion.