Bad Times for Swat Valley Residents

Maaz Ahmad, Class 9, Elum Valley Public School, Swat

The monsoon rains have devastated the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan, with the worst-affected districts including Swat, Shangla, Chitral, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Nowshehra, Charsada, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan.

The Marghzar Valley in Swat has been badly hit. Seven people, including two children, are reported dead and at least 24 houses, three watermills and a mosque have been washed away.

The valley is now cut off from the rest of the country – four bridges and connecting highways have been totally destroyed there – and people are facing severe problems in finding food and getting it back to their homes.

Along with other infrastructure, the flooding has damaged tourist facilities including the famous Sufaid Mehel Hotel in the Marghzar Valley. This will impact badly on the area’s future tourism prospects.

People are trying to rebuild the infrastructure by themselves.

Both government and private schools remain closed due to flood damage. The education sector in the Swat Valley has gone through very difficult times in recent times – first an invasion by the Taleban, and now the floods.

According to rough estimates, 75 per cent of crops in Marghzar, Islampur, Pul Bhandhi, Gul Bhandhi, Chitiorh, Saleem Khan and Gulzar Tangey have been washed away, causing losses of millions of rupees to local farmers.

There is now an acute shortage of food including vegetables in the area. The Pakistani army is providing foodstuffs to affected populations, but much more is needed.

Some traders have taken this opportunity to profit from the situation by raising the prices of essential food items beyond what people can afford. The government does not seem to be acting to curb these criminals.

Obtaining medical treatment and purchasing medicine is also out of question for most people, as medication is in short supply and the prices are high. The few remaining rupees that flood victims have in their pockets are not enough to buy food with. Patients suffering from fevers, coughs and skin diseases do not have access to proper treatment and are in poor condition.

There are no vaccination facilities to prevent disease and there is a desperate need for water filtration systems in the Swat Valley, as the floods have washed away access to clean water sources. The only resources left are tube wells, but these cannot be used as electricity is unavailable to drive the pumps. People are therefore drinking unhygienic water, which may produce a large rise in waterborne diseases.

People in the area have been complaining that no government officials have yet visited the Swat Valley. They say morale would be boosted if politicians simply visited the area and expressed sympathy with the flood victims. There is also a sense that United Nations agencies, government departments and local communities need to collaborate closely if they are to deliver better results.