Wheat shortage adds to woes of flood-hit people

GILGIT: Food shortage, coupled with harsh winter, is adding to the woes of the flood survivors in Ghizer. The residents are facing shortage of wheat as they have not been able to get their quota for the last two months.

The resident warned the government of severe consequences if the wheat crisis in their district is not resolved in a week.

“The situation is worsening in our village and other parts of Gupis,” Farman Ali, a resident of Ghizer told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

“Phandar village has been denied its wheat quota for the past two months by the government despite repeated reminders,” Ali lamented.

He said that a number of villages hit by the recent floods have not received any assistance from the government or non-government organizations (NGO) despite several appeals.

“The harsh winter has made life miserable in the district, that is already facing a shortage of many basic needs,” he said.

“The relief was meant for the victims of the floods but has not been given to us,” Syed Aleem, another resident of the area said.

“It has been handed over to the district administration and not distributed to those who deserve it,” Aleem alleged.

“Look at Birgal and its surrounding villages, people are handicapped and can now only rely on divine intervention to help them,” Kamran Ali, a resident of Birgal said.

He said that thousands of people who had lost their houses, crops and cattle to the floods, are still without any shelter.

“They need assistance as they have lost every thing in this calamity but the government did not help them,” Kamran said.

If the government does not arrange wheat within a week, we will block the roads and march towards Gahkuch, the district headquarters, villagers threatened. They warned that the government will be responsible for any consequences.

The monsoon rains that triggered flash floods and landslides in August devastated villages, infrastructure and communication system, crops, orchards in Ghizer, Diamer and Baltistan districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, killing over 180 people an

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2010.