CHITRAL: A Kashmir markhor was released back into the Gahiret-Golen conservancy here on Tuesday after it recuperated as a result of treatment in a local veterinary hospital where it was brought by the wildlife department four days ago.

Sub-divisional forest officer of wildlife department, Altaf Ali Shah, set free the animal into the game reserve in the presence of village conservancy committee’s (VCC) office-bearers of the adjoining villages of Syed Abad and Gahiret.

The 18-month-old markhor was found sick in the conservancy by the VCC staff of Syed Abad and was rushed to the divisional office of wildlife department from where it was shifted to a veterinary hospital for treatment.

Mr Shah appreciated the efforts of VCC members in conservation of markhor due to which its population had swelled to 4,000 in the district while it had been declared as endangered species in 1980s.

He denied prevalence of any disease in the conservancy, and said only a single animal had contracted illness while all the other 433 markhors kept in the conservancy were safe from any ailment.

WATER CONTAMINATION CAUSING DISEASES: The residents of Reshun village have demanded of the government to take notice of the prevalence of kidney diseases and stomach cancer in the village due to consumption of contaminated water of a stream.

Talking to mediapersons at the Chitral Press Club, the president of Awami health committee of the village, Noor Alam Babak, said during the last six months 10 persons died of stomach cancer while the number of kidney patients was on rise which is being attributed to consumption of contaminated water by the locals.

He said the department of public health engineering had yet to construct a water tank for the village of about 1,500 households and the water was supplied directly to the homes without being filtered.

Mr Babak said the water contamination started after 1994 when a 1.5km long tunnel was dug for the power channel of Reshun hydropower house and the debris of rock blasting drained into the stream.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2017