Residents appeal to save their village from impending danger

Since 2015, after the torrential rainfalls followed by horrendous floods in every nook and corner of Chitral, the entire geography of Chitral saw a sea change. Every landscape within the boundary of Chitral suffered a lot but the arid area of Mulkhow was one of the worst affected ones, and in Mulkhow Muxghol was almost annihilated. In Phargram, nine people, including six members of a family, lost their lives and Kundar was also one of the badly affected villages. Kundar is a village of about 20 homes with a population of more than 200 and is located at the end point of Shindoi Gol – one of the tributaries of River Chitral. Shindoi steam originates from a pasture located in such a position that one can say it straddles over Uthul and Istaboon hamlets, and ends its journey at Kundar bisecting different villages on its way as Phargram and Gazu, Khotekan from Shindoi, Drian from Khoran Nas and Chattandok from Kundar. The villages afore mentioned other than Kundar are comparatively less prone to flood as they are protected by sheer flanks on the river side, but at a point called Khoran Nas there is a shallow depression on Kundar’s side which allows the flood to change its course and threatens the villagers. The village was already the most arid and driest of the areas as the name itself is taken figuratively even in Mulkhow “Kundar Gheri Sher Khai” ie resembles Kundar, “Shalak Ugh no Ler” (The water is not adequate even for Grasshooper). But there were springs for drinking purposes, people were satisfied, unfortunately, however, the previous flood covered all the springs under its tons of filthy mud and the already barren land turned into wasteland. The dwellelers are compelled to drink contaminated water. They say when the catastrophic flood dashed everything and crumbled down houses of some of them. Tehsil Nazim, Chairman and other members of the local government had visited them and had promised to dig well for them and to built a protective wall at Khoran Nas to prevent them from further damages but as time fled hurriedly no one came to their aid. They are still under severe threat as the rivulet belches down mud full-throatedly in every showery day. It flooded twice in March 2017. The villagers are in very precarious condition and are afraid of any unwanted incident. They request the authorities concerned, DCO, Dist Nazim and Tehsil Nazim to take some serious measurement on war basis to find some way out for them. Their suggestion is a well or tubewell should be arranged for drinking water and a protective wall at the place named Khoran Nas which has made the village prone to flood.]]>