CHITRAL: Flood victims not satisfied with relief work: Survivors forced to consume contaminated water
By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL, July 6: The people of the flood-hit Sonoghur village have expressed annoyance over the relief work carried out by the provincial government. Talking to Dawn, they said the edible items provided to them did not meet their needs, adding that firewood, kerosene or natural gas had not been provided to them for cooking food.
The displaced people were without any drinking water and they were forced to consume contaminated water which caused diarrhoea and dysentery.
The people of Sonoghur village were relocated to the Parwark village with the help of army helicopters on Sunday after water from a glacier inundated a part of their village. They praised the people of Parwark for their hospitality, including sharing of food and water for the last one week.
In the Parwark village, the authorities have established three tent villages. The affected people were of the view that the selection of the site was faulty as it was a deserted area having no water source or vegetation. Women and children were living in tents under the scorching sun.
They claimed that the government officials had selected a site near the road so that various organisations and agencies visiting the area could see them easily and extend aid to them.
So far the government had distributed 40kg of wheat flour and 5kg each of ghee, pulse, sugar and rice, which was meant for two families. An affected man said he had 13 members in his family and he had received only 20kg of flour, which could hardly last two days.
The survivors added that the flour supplied to them was of a dubious quality and was not suitable for human consumption. Showing a sample of the flour, an old woman said it was not even fit for feeding domestic animals.
She claimed that the affected people were doing without clean water for the last several days. “We have no wood or kerosene for cooking food and we are without any water,” she remarked.
The affected people said no NGOs had come to their rescue other than the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), which they praised for providing prompt service.
Sharifa Yousuf, a health worker in the relief camp, said the AKHS established its medical camp in the area soon after the calamity and since then every possible medical aid was being extended to the affected people by it.
She said that due to the contaminated water, the number of diarrhoea and dysentery cases was increasing by the day. She said that many people were suffering from hypertension.
The affected people said the flood had swept away their houses and had destroyed their crops and trees, along with their livestock, which were their chief source of income. They said the flood had also washed away the basic health unit, the high school and the grain godown of their village.
They said the small-scale aid provided by the government could not save them from hunger and chilly winds in the winter.
