The Provincial Disasters Management Authority (PDMA) has requested the Provincial Government to immediately released Rs 140 million for the restoration and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, water and irrigation infrastructure destroyed by the Glacial lake outburst and flash flood in Chitral district.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister has been requested by the PDMA to immediately release Rs140 million including Rs 100 million to Civil and Works Department Chitral, Rs 30 million to Public Health Engineering Department Chitral and Rs 10 million to Irrigation Department Chitral in order to mobilise contractors for restoration and rehabilitation works on the damaged and destroyed infrastructure in flood hit Chitral.
“A summery has been moved to the CM for the release of the above funds immediately so as to expedite relief works in the above important sectors in Chitral,” a spokesman of PDMA told APP on Wednesday.
The Government has accelerated relief and rehabilitation works with an assistance of line departments/organisations in Chitral district and an amount of Rs 20 million is currently available in the relief account of Chitral district, the spokesman said.
The deputy commissioner (DC) Chitral has been authorised for Rs 200,000 out of the relief funds for supply of drinking water to affected areas, he added. The Govt has authorised DC Chitral to procure and stock essential food items worth Rs 100,000 for distribution among affected population in the cut off areas.
The PDMA has transported 20 tons including 500 packages of food items to the district on July 20 while a consignment of another 20 tons food items is being sent in a couple of days to help assist the affected population, the spokesman added.
A high level team of PDMA headed by its director general is present in Chitral for needs assessment and provision of relief to the affectees besides reviewing pace of rehabilitation works, he informed.
Non food Items (NFI) i.e. tents, blankets etc have been already provided to district Chitral for distribution among the affectees.
The spokesman said PDMA can transport more NFIs from its Humanitarian Response Facility (HRF) if required to Chitral.
In Chitral, three people have been reportedly died due to various incidents of houses collapse while the exact number of injuries cannot be ascertained due to inaccessibility of different affected areas, he added.
To a question, he said Kalash valley with a 2,500 population, Charam Chesma with 60,000 population and Upper Chitral areas including Booni, Mastooj, Mulkow, Torkow and Yarkhoon with a 200,000 population have been cut off from main Chitral due to destruction of road infrastructure from the last one week. If this disconnection continues, the chances of flood shortage in these areas cannot be ruled out.
The district administration Chitral and C&W Chitral have mobilised local contractors and earth moving machinery to clear and restore traffic roads including Ayun Dobash Road at Oshan and Dobasch, Dobash to Rumboor Road, Dobash to Bamborait Road, Birir Valley Road, Garam Chashma Road, Chitral Booni Road at Koragh village and Shishi Koh to Madaklasht Road respectively.
The spokesman said rehabilitation works continued in affected areas. The Spokesman said army engineers also busy in rehabilitation works in Chitral.