The un-precedented floods in Pakistan in general and in upper Swat Tehsil Bahrain in particular have affected thousands of households with a devastating magnitude. Whole villages have been washed away with immense loss to lives and properties. Almost all the infrastructure has been partially or fully damaged. Along with hundreds of houses, roads, bridges, and other vital communication systems like telephone, mobile phone service and power supply lines have been destroyed.
In Behrain Tehsil, eleven bridges (Qandil Bridge, Damana Bridge, Mankyal Bridge, Chail Bridge, Bodai Kamar Bridge, Bangla Aryanai Bridge, Aryanai Kas Bridge, Kalam Bazar Bridge, Ayeen Bridge, Madyan Sor Pul Bridge and Shahgram Khwar Bridge) have been washed away by the flash floods with the intensity higher than that of the 2010 floods in Pakistan, which has left the areas disconnected from one another as well as from the main set up of the district.
Moreover, seven villages are completely or partially washed out by the floods, which include Jheel Village at Behrain, Bangla Village at Aryanai, Drub Shahgram Village in UC Tirat, Ingarabad Village in UC Madyan and Paleer Village in Kalam that have completely been washed away and Badalai and Chail Villages at Madyan which are partially damaged.
Besides the link bridges, the flooding in River Swat has also affected communication negatively by washing away the main road to Kalam Swat at several points. The floods have damaged about 400 houses in Tehsil Behrain. About nine hotels are damaged by floods in Kalam and fifteen hotels are damaged at Behrain Swat, which includes some hotels like Honeymoon Hotel Kalam, which fell down into the river. About one hundred shops have also been washed away. Five to six hundred livestock heads have also been washed away. It will require years of efforts by the government to rebuild what is repairable. There are health and hygiene issues that are further aggravating the situation and threatening people’s lives. The current floods have especially hit the upper part of District. These parts of the district need immediate attention by the global community in order to avoid any further complications. The scarce resources of the provincial government have already been drained by security and law and order. Currently, there is no adequate forthcoming to help the people in distress.
The main highway from Behrain to kalam is repaired with the help of some donors, Government support and self-help basis by affected communities. But there is still needs to make them easily used by ordinary vehicles. Many houses, approx. 1400 dwellings are completely or partially damaged. Public and private infrastructure including drinking Water supply structures, irrigation systems, microhydel generation schemes and majority of agriculture land is severely damaged. Thousands of Affectees have lost not only buildings but also housee hold items in almost all cases. Many now living with relatives or neighbors, that to, in miserable conditions. Thousands of acres of agriculture land and orchards are completely washed, which has left people without food items as no crops this year. The Affectees need rehabilitation of houses, basic infrastructure and lands anyway. But presently they are in dire need of food items, wheat flour, Cooking oil, Sugar and rice as well as daily life saving items including; Bedding i.e. blankets, Quilts, Warm clothes, Shoes and kitchen items and of course fuel etc for fuel, cash can be provided for wood etc.
QAFELA (Quick-Change Association for Educational Promotion, Livelihood Development &Awareness) appeals individuals within and outside Pakistan as well as governments and organizations to come forward and help the affected people. Immediate help in cash and in kind is direly needed as mentioned above.
you can be contacted on the following email and contact number for donations and support:
Contact +92-03169926092 /+92-341-5683865
Email: info@qafela.org / qafela.swat@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +92-3169926092
