Structures that bind: Stranded villages bridged to the greener side

New bridge spells hope of economic vitality for communities in Kabal, Swat.


Fazal Khaliq March 30, 2012

SWAT:


When communities actively take part and contribute towards development projects, they are sure to be successful.


Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Qazi Azmat Esa stated this at the inauguration of a 132-foot-long bridge that will connect four previously stranded villages in Kabal tehsil to the more prosperous Swat city.

Local communities contributed Rs1,073,400 or 20 per cent of the cost of the Rs5.367 million project which was completed with assistance provided by AusAid, an Australian aid agency in collaboration with Sarhad Rural Support Program (SRSP).

“Structurally, it is a mere bridge, but in actuality it is the lifeline for four villages,” said Muhmmad Zeb, a social activist from Deolai village. “My village was cut off from the rest of the area by a stream. The absence of a bridge is the main reason my people, including myself, are illiterate.”

Uneducated and with meagre means, the villagers would often engage in personal animosities and land disputes, said Zeb. “I hope all that will change now.”

In the absence of a bridge, four villages: Golden, Deolai, Totano Bandai and Qalagey and dozens of hamlets were cut off from the rest of Swat in the rainy season, because the central stream swelled.

As the villagers rely mostly on agriculture for sustenance, being severed from Swat resulted in depleting reserves of fertilizers and seeds for crops.

The villages have fertile land and harvest a good quantity of rice, wheat, maize and vegetables, said secretary of Golden Deolai Falahi Tanzeem, Sher Bahadar. But the villagers always had problems with transporting their produce to the market.

During the rainy season, fertilizers, seeds and other agricultural necessities were brought in with great difficulty, laden on mules and transported over rocky terrain, he said.

But with the new bridge, vehicles will drive up to our doorstep and we will have easier and cheaper access to the market, he added smugly.

An elder of Deolai Village, Toti lala, said that many people were washed away trying to cross the stream in the rainy season. At other times, sick villagers died as they could not be taken to hospitals on time.

Esa, the PPAF CEO, reiterated that “Real prosperity is the result of a collective approach.” He promised that PPAF will undertake more developmental projects in the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2012.

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