Web Desk (LTN NEWS): The recent catastrophic floods caused a lot of damage in the Swat district, but for the people of Drab Shahgram village, it was their second disaster in just 12 years. In July 2010, their homes, crops, and orchards were also destroyed by floods.
On August 25, Swat was hit by rains and floods that had never happened before. The people of Drab Shahgram village quickly thought back to the terrible flood of 2020.
“We didn’t think they would be hit by another flood of such a huge size that it would be worse than the last one. We hadn’t fully recovered from the last disaster because we had barely been able to rebuild our homes and fix up some of the farmland. But on August 25, our properties, lands, and orchards were flooded again by flash floods,” said Bakht Jehan, an elder of the village, as he sat in the central mosque with other villagers after the floods took away their houses again.
Bath Jehan said that about 20 houses in the village were washed away, and a few more were underwater. “When we learned that floods were coming, we moved our family members to safe places. Our men are staying at the mosque, and we sent our women to stay with family,” he said, adding that they couldn’t handle more disasters like this.
He said that the villager’s only land was near the river and that they would rebuild their homes because they couldn’t stay out in the open for long.
“We lost all of our food and crops that were still growing. Ajmal Shah, another villager, said, “Our relatives and the people in the nearby villages are making sure we have food.”
So far, he said, a few local social organizations had reached out to them and gotten information about the damage, but no government agency had done so. Ajmal Shah said, “We need both food and non-food items, and we’re asking the government to give us these things right away so that homeless people can stay alive.”
Near the famous Madyan valley in Bahrain tehsil is the village of Drab Shahgram, which is known for its vegetables, grains, and fruits. However, the devastating floods have almost washed away all of the agricultural lands. Most families have to live off of what they grow on their farms.
