CHITRAL: The devastating flood that occurred on July 22 had changed the map of Chitral. The level of the flood was so high that the water was flowing five feet above the river, which resulted in the loss of surrounding houses, shops, markets, workshops, standing crops, under cultivation land, orchards and fields. Due to the flood, irrigation and drinking water pipeline and canals were also flowed. The drinking water pipeline, which costs about Rs 400 Million from Golden, is being destroyed every year due to floods. It is not known whether the department lacks technical and professional skills or lacking honesty and dedication with their job. Even when the pipeline was constructed, our team surveyed it and demanded the Public Health Engineering Department to take necessary steps to protect the pipeline on a regular basis from destroying , but nothing happened and a year later it was badly damaged by flood. After that it is badly affected in every flood. Last year, the pipelin was mostly washed away in river and people were deprived of drinking water for a year, this pipeline was restored by spending millions of rupees , but due to poor planning and wrong design, this pipeline was once again flooded. It Badly affected and people have been deprived of drinking water since July 22, and the affected people are craving for one drop of water. On the contrary, the Angarghon Shah Shah Water Supply Scheme, which was constructed by Germany company 40 years ago, is still restored and at present the entire Chitral Town is provided water from the Angarghon water supply scheme. Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry has visited Chitral immediately after flood and announced the implementation of an emergency. They were probably misguided by the concerned department or the district administration that drinking water supply has been restored and people are getting water even though the flood victims have been suffering from lack of drinking water for the last ten days and the Golden Pipeline is still blocked.
The largest vehicles workshops in Dinin is the entire market consisting of 120 shops also has several workshops, spare parts shops, service stations and a driving center. On July 22, the flood level was so high that the shops on the banks of the river broke the market and the floods were devastated here. People saved their lives, but the vehicles parked here are still trapped in the rubble and debris of the flood and no one has even bothered to evacuate them. Motor mechanic Ishaq and his father say that we have faced a loss of million of rupees, but so far the victims have not received a kilo of flour from the administration and they never help these helplessness segment which need their help. He added that since the entire market was destroyed, they did not get food or any other relief package or compensation.
Asif Khan’s house is located above the Dinan goal drain. He said that I have a disabled son and a few daughters. We ran away at night and spent the night under the open sky. He said that there is 10 -foot -high debris over my house and we try to clean it from the bullets and the cloak, but this is not our bus. He added that my disabled son’s medicines were also buried under the debris of the flood and now I cannot buy medicines for this disabled son. He said that the flood destroyed my everything and my entire world. The administration given them tent and twenty kilograms of flour and some food items , but I didn’t even get a penny to rebuild my house. He said that even if the government gives Rs 1 million according to its policy, then this house can not be be built in this period of inflation.
Kamal -ud -din is a businessman and social worker. He says that the shopkeepers and motor mechanics have been affected by flood they working all day in this market . They are busy in removing the flood debris , but in the evening when the goes their homes without taking any thing their children are very disappointed. He said that the main reason for the flood is the contractor of the National Highway Authority, which, at the time of the construction and widening of the Booni Shandor road, he dropped the whole debris and heavy boulders in the river with large stones weight of so many tons. As a result surface of rive raised and caused of tremendous flood. “We have submitted applications to 21 departments against of this contractor and we have just made a written application to the SHO police station Chitral to file a FIR, but it seems that he is high-hands and high influential one that no action was taken against him so far he added that no action was taken by any institution. He appealed to the Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and higher authorities to take strict legal action by investigating the NHA’s relevant project director, relevant staff and the contractor because of their criminal negligence the devastating floods not only lossed them million of rupees, but also damaged aquatic life by violating environmental law. This scribe repeatedly called the concerned construction company, s project manager and tried to find out his version, but he denied from talking about this issue by busying his phone every time.
Floods have damaged several houses, shops and lands in Koghuzai, Kari, Orghuch, Ochosht Gahkat, Dinin, Chitral Town, and other areas. At this time, people have sown the maize crop and the stream and channels that are irrigating them have been washed away into the flood.
Naeem Anjum, president of the Tehreek -e -Tahafuzi Chitrali and his colleagues, going to affected areas and helping the victims and helping them to remove the debris from their homes. He also expressed his disappointment over the government’s apathy that no one has yet been given by the administration in the Orghuch and other affected areas and there has been any help with them.
Ghulam Yusuf, who is affected by the ochhost drain, who lives in Shiaqao Tech, his house has completely. He added that he was forced to stay in the house of a relative, including his family, but how long would he be a burden on others? He said that he had not yet received any help. He also demanded that he must be financed immediately so that he could rebuild his damaged house.
Ijaz Ahmad Khan is a councilor of Village Council Koghuzi . He says that when the floods came here two years ago, the Pakistan Tehreek -e -Insaf (PTI) responsible people and Special Assistant to CM on Minority affairs of KP Wazir Zada Kalash visited with his team to protect the area. He announced for providing of fund of Rs 2 Million its tender was also awarded and work order was issued but the practical work has not yet started and it was only a verbal promise and political statement. Because of his false promises and announcements, we never approached another government or non -governmental organization and the PTI Govt did not provide funds and not started practically work, as a result we are also suffering . If we knew that these people were lying, we would ask for help from another institution or NGO. He added that many years ago a rocky stone was coming in this drain, which causes water every year to stop water. The affected people also complain that the government has imposed an emergency in both districts of Chitral but we are removing debris from our own destroyed houses on slef help basis and we have not been given any missionary, etc. The victims have demanded from government agencies to immediately assist them financially so that they can rebuild their destroyed houses and provide their children to a place of shelter , as well as irrigation and drinking water pipes and channels should also be restored so that water supply to them can be ensured.
By Gul Hamaad Farooqi
