CHITRAL: Scores of families, who have lost their homes to flash floods and glacial lake outburst flood phenomenon during the summer season, are likely to pass through the forthcoming winter season in the tents they have put up.

The villages of Rech, Yarkhoon and Khot in Upper Chitral and that of Sheshi Koh and Golen in Lower Chitral had been devastated by floods in summer, washing away a large number of homes.

Some of the affected people of Rech and Khot villages told mediapersons at the Chitral Press Club here on Saturday that they had no financial capacity to reconstruct their homes and were waiting for the government to help them do so.

However, they said that they didn’t expect a positive response from the authorities.

Residents Syed Zahid Shah, Durdana Khan, Gul Ahmed and others said that the compensation money was only paid to the heirs of those who lost their lives during the floods.

They said that living in tents after the first snowfall of the season, which usually happens in December, would not be possible for the families. As such, they said they had only two months to go when the harsh weather began.

They said that after having been disappointed by the government, they had pinned their hopes on the non- governmental organisations and were also looking up to well-off people to come to their rescue.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2024