NOWSHERA DISTRICT IN MEDIA

PESHAWAR: Helplessness of the government and lack of boats and proper equipment to rescue the victims of floods have added to the miseries of people in almost all the inundated villages in the suburbs of Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan and other parts of the province.

Majority of the stranded people, who had spent the night over roofs of their houses, mosques and hujras, were still waiting for boats to leave for safer places on Friday. The volunteers and local people were seen assisting their near and dear ones in shifting their children, women and cattle from flooded houses on tyre tubes.

During a visit to Akbarpura, Pabbi, Pashtoon Garhi and Charsadda Road, the local people were seen telling the authorities their plight and identifying sites where people had been stranded. Almost all of them were cursing the government and their elected representatives for offering mere lip service. The local people observed that only the Almighty Allah could save and help them now.

Certain government officials justified the statements of the affected people saying they did not have the required number of boats that could be sent to each and every corner of the province. “We have been receiving complaints from various areas but we lack boats and the helicopters cannot land in almost all the affected areas,” an official told The News on condition of anonymity.

The victims pointed to the presence of journalists and electronic media vehicles in the area and argued if the media and journalists can reach everywhere, why not the government officials.

Ghulam Nabi, 57, narrated how his co-villager lost his children in the flood and how he shifted his family members to safer places. “There is neither any government nor assistance,” he said, criticising the rulers for pretending to be sincere with the people only when they speak on TV channels.

“We have been requesting the authorities to rescue members of a Tableeghi Jamaat who spent the night on the top of a mosque in Deedar Garhi, but nothing practical was done for them since morning,” said Masood Khan, a local resident.

Almost all houses in Malik Ziarat Khan Koroona and Zaee Bala near Akbarpura have been destroyed in the flood but no government official has visited them until now. Malik Nasir, a village elder, observed that the rulers usually visited the area in a helicopter to see the helplessness of people. “They could not offer any service,” he said and questioned credibility of the government and rulers when they had only a few boats.

“How can we call it a government? It even could not save its people from water during the last two days,” he said, and cursed the Meteorological and other relevant departments for failing to anticipate the torrential rains and inform the people in time.

PML-N MPA Shazia Aurangzeb, who visited flood-affected areas in a tractor, termed the situation painful. She asked the government to take serious and timely steps and save the people from drowning.

Shazia Aurangzeb, who rescued several women in the tractor, said she talked to Punjab chief minister’s adviser Zakia Shahsawar and another official Colonel Saif to provide special boats to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities on emergency basis and the rest of the relief goods could be arranged later.

A number of notables accommodated dozens of displaced families in their hujras in safer areas. One such hujra is owned by Asif Jan Khan in Rajar, Pir Piai, while some are located in various parts of Peshawar, where meals are also arranged for them.

Volunteers were seen assisting their co-villagers in shifting their family members, cattle and aged persons to safer places. Most of the marooned people were worried about their family members and cattle.

A volunteer, Hazrat Khan, complained that some people had been looting belongings of the fruit market in Peshawar instead of helping the people in this difficult time. He advised the people to seek forgiveness of Allah and pray for their salvation.