SWABI: The lumpy skin disease (LSD) has severely hit the livelihood of butchers here in the district as amid rising cases of the cattle disease the local people have stopped buying and eating beef.

During an interaction the butchers told this correspondent in Swabi district headquarters on Tuesday that they had been facing financial problems because people had stopped buying meat due to fear that the cattle disease might affect them.

“I don’t know how to earn a decent living now because like other people our families also have needs, but there is no work,” said Bakht Mohammad, a butcher who works in Swabi city.

The butchers demanded of the government to give them financial assistance, saying they would return the borrowed money with the improvement of the situation.

“It is becoming impossible for us to manage our needs without government assistance. We are expecting immediate help from the government,” said another butcher Amin Khan.

When contacted, a senior official said they were monitoring the situation and had already warned butchers that they should get a certificate for every cattle before slaughtering and selling its meat.

Local police officials said they had been told to ensure that none of the butchers in their areas was allowed to slaughter LSD-affected cattle and sell its meat.

KILLED: A six-year-old child was electrocuted when he accidentally touched a live wire here in Gandaf Bala village on Tuesday.

Rescue 1122 officials said Musa Khan was electrocuted while playing inside his house.

In Maneri, seven-year-old Nauman Khan was killed after he was hit by a bullet when a pistol fell from the hands of his father Gulzar Khan during cleaning and it went off.

Asad Khan of Zaida village, who had suffered burn injuries a week ago, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2022