CHITRAL: In a show of community resilience, a number of civil society organisations, paramilitary personnel and student volunteers rushed to the flood-affected villages of Jughur and Broze on Sunday to help clear mud and debris left behind by last week’s flash floods.

The recent deluge, triggered by Glof and cloudbursts, rendered hundreds of families homeless across Lower Chitral, leaving residential areas buried under boulders and thick sludge.

Expressing gratitude, members of the affected families said that clearing the debris from their properties on their own was literally impossible.

While they acknowledged that the district administration had provided immediate relief in the form of tents and emergency food supplies, they lamented that the government left the task of debris clearance entirely up to the victims. For families who have lost everything, removing the heavy wreckage from their homes had become an “uphill task”.

Stepping in to fill the gap, dedicated volunteers from the Al-Khidmat Foundation, Muhammad Talha Mahmood Foundation, Human Care Foundation and Helping Hand were seen working tirelessly under the scorching sun, digging through collapsed structures to help locals.

Joining the humanitarian effort, personnel from the Chitral Scouts and enthusiastic students from a local school also actively took part in the physical clearance operations.

Simultaneously, critical infrastructure work was under way as the channelisation of the local nullah (natural stream) was initiated. To prevent further vulnerability to future torrents, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) collaborated with the Chitral Scouts, who deployed heavy machinery to widen and secure the blocked water channels.

Speaking to the media, an affected resident in Jughur shared that many displaced villagers are still desperately striving to unearth and salvage whatever personal belongings and household items remain buried deep beneath the overwhelming flood debris.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2026