Bahrain, Mankar get their bridges back

Five micro hydel projects completed, nine link roads restored.

SWAT:

It has been a yearlong wait, but the people in Bahrain and Mankar village finally have their bridges back.

“[Living across the Swat River,] we were completely cut off from the rest of the region, as the floods swept away the bridge and there was no other way to cross the river. We had to trek for miles to go across,” said Akbar Jan, a resident of Mankar, one of the worst affected areas in Upper Swat.

He appreciated the efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for “reviving life” in the valley. The two bridges were funded by the people of Japan under the Peace and Development Programme. The project was implemented by the Swat Participatory Council (SPC).

Moreover, five micro hydel power stations recently installed in Bahrain, Kalam and Utror will provide electricity to the local people.

Talking about the micro hydel project, Wazirul Mulk, a resident of Utror valley, said, “Walking in the mountains at night was really dangerous before. Several people have fallen down and gotten injured, while some have also been attacked by animals.”

The UNDP has also restored nine link roads in the region.

Walking on one of the link road, an old man with a heavy load on his shoulder, said, “Climbing steep mountains was impossible for us before. Our children could not go to schools either. However, now I can easily move around with goods. We want all the roads and bridges to be restored in Swat.”

SPC Executive Director Muhammad Roshan said that the SPC was determined to take an active part in the rehabilitation process. “Even though it is difficult to meet the high hopes of people, we will continue [to collaborate] with humanitarian and development agencies,” he said, adding that the SPC intended to work in nine more union councils of Bahrain and Matta.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2011.