SWAT: In a continued effort to support the flood-hit people, volunteers and welfare organisations from across the country have distributed essential items, including medicines, food packages, bedding and kitchen sets, and clothes among hundreds of families in Swat, Buner, Shangla and Bajaur districts.
The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) responded to the recent flood-triggered catastrophes in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by providing clean drinking water and cooked food to the affected people.
SRSP representatives said the organisation provided clean drinking water to 3,771 people, installed four water storage tanks in Mingora, benefiting families in Mula Baba, Bangladesh, Landi Kass and Makam Bagh.
In Buner and Swat, 2,348 persons, including 733 children, received cooked meals in severely affected villages. Additionally, 57 local labourers were engaged in debris clearance in Swat.
Residents disappointed over govt’s role
They said medical assistance was extended to over 1,000 patients through mobile health camps in Swat, Shangla and Buner with free essential medicines provided in collaboration with Save the Children NGO.
To address the special needs of women and girls, the SRSP distributed 2,600 hygiene and dignity kits in partnership with Unicef Care International and UNFPA, they said, adding Care International also extended multipurpose cash assistance for 400 families.
In Shangla, Buner, Bajaur and Swat, the officials said SRSP’s assessment team was conducting comprehensive household assessments to identify the needs of flood-hit communities.
Meanwhile, the flood-hit residents expressed disappointment over the government’s role but praised the volunteers for their timely support.
“I am grateful to the volunteers, not only from Swat but also from other parts of the country, including Punjab, for extending their support to us. The volunteers from Swat cleaned my house of six feet of mud, while those from Punjab provided financial help,” said Abid Hussain, a resident of Mullah Baba area.
Among the organisations active in the region, the Lodhran Pilot Project (LPP) launched a humanitarian response in the flood-hit districts, extending lifesaving assistance to thousands of vulnerable families.
The LPP prepared comprehensive kits designed to sustain a family of eight for one month.
“Each package included dry rations, flour, utensils and crockery, a stove with a gas cylinder, bedding items such as quilts, blankets, sheets and pillows, as well as menstrual health and hygiene kits,” said its chief executive Dr Mohammad Abdul Saboor.
Meanwhile, student volunteers of a welfare organisation conducted two separate medical camps in flood-hit areas of Buner district.
The first camp was held at Batai Road, Pir Baba, where 608 patients received medical attention.
The second camp, organised in Sharif Kalay, Pir Baba, catered to 444 patients. The medical camps were organised by the volunteers of Helping Humanity Organisation (HHO).
In addition, HHO extended support to the flood relief efforts by providing essential medicines to a 24/7 medical camp in the worst-hit Beshonai village of Buner.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2025