Between hope and despair

SWAT: The government has not helped Swat’s farmers or landlords so far and has not made any promises to do so either. This is despite Swat’s famers asking the local administration to help them out.

Swat’s farmers have had their farming lands wiped out by the monsoon rains in the valley. The rains have washed away Swat’s infrastructure as farming is the major occupation in the valley.

“I have been ploughing this land for the last 15 years, this is the only source of livelihood for my family but the flood took it all away,” said a 70-year old farmer whose land in the Amankot area of Swat was completely washed away by the flood. Most of the farmers in Swat get their land on lease from landowners to earn their livelihood.

”This is very strange...the organisations are saying that relief is only for those whose houses have been washed away, not for farmers,” says the farmer who does not know what to do if relief from the government and NGOs does not come through.

Zaidullah Khan, a landowner of Kabal area whose land was swept away by the Swat river told The Express Tribune, “I personally contacted local administration regarding my land, but no satisfactory answer was given. They have told me not to touch any land, as the government will sort out the demarcation problem by itself.” He wonders what policy will be adopted to tackle the issue.

Fazal Ghani, a local farmer of Koza Bandai, also complained that, “No one knows what will happen with our lands. The government should adopt a clear-cut policy about lands. Whenever we go to talk about our lands, they always tell us that the issue will be resolved soon but that soon has not come yet.” Gran Bacha, a poor farmer, is equally concerned about his future occupation. “I do not know what I will do because I have been farming since my childhood. The flood has created a very strange problem for us and there is already a lack of jobs. Our future seems very unclear at this moment,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2010.