KALAM (Swat), Aug 17: “Never before in my 70 years have I seen the river water flow at such a ferocious speed. It hissed like a black cobra,” says Azam Khan, a resident of Kalam.

It was such a terrifying experience that people now stay away from the river bank, although the Swat river is now flowing normally, he adds.

Local people have never seen the river rise to the level it did in recent days.

It not only washed away all the five major bridges but also made massive inroads into the otherwise rocky embankments.

The valley, which till about two years ago was a popular tourist haunt, has suffered its second streak of misfortune in two years. Miles after miles of the road connecting Swat city with Kalam have been washed away by floods.

The valley is now cut off from the rest of the country. And its residents are trying to cope with the challenge of managing their lives. Because of lack of access, the information coming out of Kalam has been limited and the news of airpower — of the Pakistan army and US forces — being used to evacuate stranded people and deliver relief goods led to rumours and sparked fears of a widespread destruction.

Although people living on both sides of the river in the valley are safe, the missing road link is a major concern for them and for the government.

A helicopter ride from Khawazahela in Swat to Kalam city provides a bird's eye view of picturesque mountains covered with pine trees and of the damage caused by the “hissing river”. But it is evident that the damage was mostly confined to areas along its banks. Again, the major loss is of the road which runs alongside the river.

An army major busy loading relief goods at Robi Kon in Khawazakhela, said: “If the government starts building the road tomorrow, it will require at least three months to restore the road link to Kalam valley.”

It required a decision at the highest level and lots of money, he added. “Had it been an odd bridge and a few kilometres of road, the army would have done it immediately.”

The residents are also aware that their crisis will not end in days.

“Knowing that they will remain cut off from the rest of the country for months, people have already started stocking basic food items. And if the government does not find some alternative to supply flour, rice and sugar, things will be really scary in coming months,” said Mohammad Ishaq, a middle-aged man who runs a grocery store in the valley.

His fears are not unfounded as the scale of air relief efforts shows the challenge ahead. A single Black Hawk helicopter on which this correspondent was travelling made four sorties between Khawazakhela and Kalam from 9.30 in the morning to four in the afternoon, bringing people down and unloading goods in the valley.

On each of these trips one saw Chinooks, Black Hawks and other aircraft going back and forth. According to figures provided by the US forces which are running the relief operation here, they have delivered 230 tons of food and rescued 3,665 people from Aug 5 to 16.

According to the figures provided by the prime minister's secretariat, the population of the valley is 600,000. Hence, about half of the population still needs to be rescued and it might take another 10 days, provided all of them are willing to leave the area.

When asked how long the operation would continue, an American official said it would go on as long as the Pakistan government wanted it to be continued. But despite the gigantic rescue operation, the local people are angry and their fury is directed against their elected representatives.

Syed Alauddin, a PPP MNA whose constituency includes Kalam valley, is yet to visit the area. “Everyday we hear that 'Shah Jee' is coming and in the hope of some good news from their representative people get together on the main ground, but to no avail,” said 20-year-old Mohsin who, along with a number of people, had come to a relief camp in the hope of getting some help. Jaffar Shah, their MPA who belongs to the ANP, has also not visited the area.

People also complained about lack of relief goods.

A security official said that everyday thousands of people turned up to receive relief goods, but supplies were inadequate.

“The only way of transportation is through helicopters which has been made possible with the help of the Americans,” he said.

Aircraft for Pakistan Army are busy in other affected areas. The Americans have rushed 15 helicopters to the area for rescue and relief work. Based at the Ghazi Aviation base near Tarbela, they are transporting all sorts of goods, including flour, powdered milk, sugar, medicines and utensils, to the affected areas.