CHITRAL: The district administration has imposed ban on grazing of goats in the pastures of Reshun village of Mastuj tehsil for a period of two months under section 144 of CrPC.

An order issued by the office of deputy commissioner here on Thursday, says that the excessive grazing in the pasture causes torrential floods in the summer season and the village constantly faces the danger every year.

Earlier, a local court had also banned grazing of goats on the petition of the villagers, who prayed the court to save their lives and properties from the floods, which were caused by grazing.

The local people had appreciated the court order to ban grazing in the pastures of Reshun and adjacent villages of upper Chitral as they believed that grazing caused a series of torrential floods, which swept away the villages.

Talking to Dawn, former nazim of Charun union council Amirullah Khan said that the villagers had moved the local court, demanding ban on grazing in the pasture as it posed a potential threat to the lives and properties in the form of flood.

He said that a small number of the villagers defied the order and continued to graze theirs goats in the pasture that destroyed the herbs and bushes, rendering it vulnerable to torrential floods.

Mr Khan said that the flood had become frequent in the area and last year it swept away the village transversally as a result a suspension bridge collapsed, four persons died, 60 families were rendered homeless and maize crop and orchards were affected.

He recalled that in the summer season from the month of June to August, a torrential rain of only half an hour caused flood and the people residing on the stream side migrated to the places of higher altitude to save their lives.

The former nazim said that the village consisted of about 700 households out of which about 20 families kept and grazed goats and invited herdsmen from the other villages to the pasture.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2014