CHITRAL: Due to the torrential rains this year, the floods in different nullas (flood canal) Chitral had often closed the water flow in the river at different parts, which led to mass destruction. On Garamcshishma road there is a horrific turning point at Singoor village where a safety wall had built here to protect the road and the surrounding population from floods, but it was broken due to flash flood. In the same blind turn , the river flows on one side, while flood in a nullah from mountain also causes destruction of this road. The drainage causes such a high level of floods that the water reaches the bridge. A protection wall is being constructed on the roadside toward river and nullah at this point by the National Highway Authority’s maintenance section. And the safety wall that has been destroyed due to the flood on the river will be rebuilt when the water level decreases.
The construction of this safety wall will not only protect the houses situated on the river bank , but also to save under cultivation land and shops, as well as it will also save the Garamchishma road , which is the only source of communication of more than fifty thousand population. Besides its hundreds of students reading in Chitral university pass in buses on this blind and dangerous turn, their lives will also be saved by construction of this protection wall. The people of the area are very happy on the construction of this retaining wall and thank the NHA officials. Similarly, students of the University of Chitral are also expressing their happiness on its construcition.
Local people say that during expansion and construction of Booni road, the contractor dropped large stones, boulders and whole debris weight of million of tons in Chitral river, causing the river Mastuj blocked flow of river Latakoh at a junction where two rivers meet near Singor hydro power house. As a result the hydro power house of 1 megawatt drowned in water and totally damaged. During flash flood in Mastuj river water carried these boulders, stones and debris from Kari and other areas which were put by contractor in river which dumped in front of the river Lutkoh, and at the same junction, water of river Lutkoh water entered in Singor Hydro power plant which is still out of order and damaged and people are deprived from electricity. Social and political circle of Chitral also demand that the safety of the lives and property of the people should be ensured by building protection walls, on river bank on the road side. It should be noted that Chitral is a tourist district and thousands of tourists come here every year, but due to the poor condition of the roads, these tourists often face difficulties.
By Gul Hamaad Farooqi.
