PESHAWAR, Aug 11 Hundreds of thousands of people might die of starvation in Chitral and Dir districts if land route was not restored to parts of Malakand division by reconstructing Chakdara Bridge, Provincial Minister for Population Welfare Mohammad Saleem Khan said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that a large number of people were still stranded in Chitral and Dir and they needed to be evacuated immediately as food items and clean water were not available to them for the past many days.

He said that none of the departments and donor agencies had so far extended support to the affected people mainly owing to destruction of bridges and roads. The Chakdara Bridge on the River Swat was gateway to Chitral, Dir Upper, Dir Lower and Bajaur Agency but it was yet to be reconstructed, he added.

The lone water supply system to main Chitral town, he said, had been swept away and there was acute water shortage in the city where locals, especially women had to fetch water from far away springs.

“Ten persons were killed and six injured in Chitral during the floods. Forty five houses were completely destroyed and 300 were partially damaged while 125 kilometres long road, 36 bridges, 20 water supply schemes, 275 private and 55 official irrigation channels were destroyed in the district,” he said.

Mr Khan said that some 200 water mills, five small hydel power generators and several power and telephone towers were destroyed in Chitral.

He said that all the routes leading to Afghanistan and Gilgit-Baltistan were also closed and the only hope for the stranded people was reconstruction of Chakdara-Peshawar Road. It was the duty of provincial and federal governments to take immediate action for the reconstruction of the Chakdara Bridge, he said.

“The government has given full attention to the affected people of Nowshera and Charsadda but those stranded in Chitral and Dir are also part of the country and are in dire need of food and water,” the minister said.

He appealed to the provincial and federal governments, donor agencies and international community to help the stranded people. He said that provincial government had released Rs2 million for Chitral but the amount was insufficient.

Our Correspondent from Chitral adds The recent torrential rains and flash floods have paralysed life and affected every sector in the district, where 80 per cent villages lack safe drinking water.

The district remained cut off from the rest of the country for eight days as flood had washed away the main road.

Talking to Dawn here on Wednesday, Mohammad Umar, a social worker, alleged that the government ignored Chitral after widespread devastation caused by the floods. “All the sectors including communication, drinking water and irrigation have been badly affected but government has not restored them yet,” he added.

Maghfirat Shah, the former district nazim, said that it was beyond the capacity of the local people to restore irrigation channels and water supply schemes. He criticised government for what he called neglecting the district. “There is fear of drought and famine as 100 per cent people of the area are dependent on agriculture and farming, directly and indirectly,” he said.

He said that about 80 per cent villages of the district, including Chitral town, were without safe drinking water.