MNA warns of severe food shortage in Chitral

CHITRAL: Fearing a serious shortage of essentials in flood-hit and land-locked areas in the valley, Member National Assembly Iftikharuddin on Sunday asked the government to install steel bridges in the areas to avoid famine-like situation.
Talking to The News by phone, he said that there was horrific flour and food crisis situation rapidly emerging at Shoghore, Basti, Arkari valley in Garam Chashma tehsil; Reshun, Khot, Ujnu and Rech villages in Torkhow tehsil and Muzhgol, Kosht Saht in Mulkhow tehsil; Yarkhun and Laspur valleys as well as in three Kalash valleys.
The people at Muzgol and Kosht, Oveer, Lone in Mulkhow villages besides Shoghore, Karimabad and Arkari valleys need steel bridges to avert a major disaster due to emerging shortage of food particularly flour owing to dysfunctional flour mills, he added
“I fear the situation will get out of control if the steel bridges were not arranged. Steel Bridges will help people to reach markets to by essentials. I appeal to the prime ministers and chief minister to take emergency measures to cope with the crisis,” he said.
He asked the chief minister to take practical steps for restoration of Reshun Hydel Power station that PEDO Officials said would take two years to be restored besides costing a whopping Rs. 1.5 billion.
The MNA also appealed to the ambassador of the European Union (EU) to help build at least 3MW power project for Mastuj Sub-Division and 1 MW each for Garam Chashma and Drosh as recent floods have destroyed many micro-Hydel projects in Chitral.
Meanwhile, floodwater inundated most parts of scenic Bamburet valley as fresh floods caused by torrential rains swept away dozens of hotels and shops and houses in the hitherto tourist heaven .
Officials said that a police checkpost and a bridge meant for jeeps were also washed away by the fast-moving water at the confluence of Bamburet and Rambur valleys.
It was learnt that the dirt track from Dobazh to Ayun village was also washed away, which has cut off the Kalash-inhabited valleys. The floodwater coming out of Kalash valley wreaked havoc in Ayun, one of the most beautiful village of the district, damaging dozens of shops and houses.
The floods also damaged rice and maize crops in Ayun, where no loss of life was caused as the locals climbed high-lying areas to save their lives. The floods also blocked the Chitral River at Ayun for six hours, creating a panic among the people.
In upper Chitral, the floods played havoc in Khot, Shagram, Ujno and Muzhgol villages, inundating houses and agriculture fields.
In Khot, eight houses, one mosque, one Jamaat Khana, seven small hydel power units and standing crops were destroyed.
Assistance sought for Chitral flood affected: The Al-Khidmat Foundation has demanded the welfare, charity organisations and well-off people to come forward for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected people of Chitral and offered the platform of the foundation to everyone for cooperation in this regard.
Talking to reporters, provincial president of the foundation Noorul Haq said that the entire infrastructure in Chitral had been swept away by flash floods.
The basic infrastructure in the district has completely vanished and the affected areas cut off from the rest of the country.
These areas could be accessed only through helicopters, he said. “The roads are damaged and volunteers are facing problems in accessing the affected population,” he added.
He asked the government to enhance the helicopter services and focus prime attention on reconstruction of roads so that the relief bodies and volunteers could be able to easily reach the affected families.
Noorul Haq said the water channels and sources had been washed away by floods and electricity supply could be restored only to some parts of the district headquarters.