CHITRAL: The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan has established emergency safe shelters across the Kalash valleys of Bamburate, Rambur and Birir to provide immediate safety to the local communities and tourists during the very hours of the flash floods.
A number of residents of the valleys, including Zahid Alam, Yasir Kalash, Zarmast Gul, Turab Khan and others said that the initiative, titled ‘Increasing Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change’ (ICRCC), is funded by the government of Denmark and has greatly strengthened their capacities to meet the natural hazards.
They said that these shelters were strategically designed to provide immediate refuge for affected families, their livestock, and stranded visitors during and after flash floods, which have become increasingly common in the region since 2010.
Given the high topographic vulnerability of the valleys, which are tightly hemmed in by steep mountains, residents have long called for better mitigation measures of which safe shelters topped the list due to its urgency.
They said that the under the project, the Government Higher Secondary School building in Bamburate valley, the Jashtakhan (traditional dancing place) in Rumbur valley and the local community hall in Birir valley have been declared as emergency safe shelter keeping in view their location on safe and raised places.
They added that each facility is now equipped with a 2.5 Kw solar power system, safe drinking water supplies, and an ample number of toilets and washrooms while to ensure self-sufficiency during crises, the project has also provided safety kits and essential kitchenware.
They described the shelters as “centres of hope” for a population that has endured two decades of intensifying flood cycles and said that beyond
physical protection, the facilities are expected to serve as vital resource hubs for community resilience and immediate life-saving support.
