CHITRAL: Residents of the Kalash valleys have termed the initiative of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat regarding community preparedness a significant move to safeguard the unique cultural heritage and lives of the people as the area is highly vulnerable to the increasing frequency of climate change-induced flash floods since 2010.

Talking to local media here on Sunday, the elites of different Kalash valleys of Bumburate, Birir and Rumbur including Bahram Kalash, Ghazi

Khan, Turab Khan, Tabriz and others said that funded by the Government of Denmark the project has prepared the community to mitigate the impact of natural hazards through localised disaster risk management and long-term habitat planning.

They said that realising the geographic isolation of the region, self-reliance was no longer a choice but a necessity because when disasters strike roads are often wiped out, leaving us cut off from the rest of the world, adding, comprehensive community preparedness was our only lifeline.

They said that a cornerstone of the initiative was the formulation of the valleys’ first-ever habitat plan which was designed to balance modern infrastructure needs with the urgent realities of climate change, ensuring that future growth does not compromise the environmental or cultural integrity of the valleys.

The project’s strength lies in its community-based approach under which Valley Emergency Response Teams (VERTs) in all three valleys have been formed while 300 Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) have been formed at the village level with 86 volunteers receiving specialised training to act as first responders.

“Through this project, the local communities of Bumburate, Rumbur, and Birir are now integrated into an inclusive organisational hierarchy and are equipped with both the skills and the structure to manage emergencies, the people of the Kalash valleys are better prepared to face the increasing threats posed by natural disasters and a changing climate,” they said.

They said that as a result of the project each and every resident of the valleys was in a position as how to behave and respond in the aftermath of natural disasters instead of waiting for the government’s response.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2026