Floods cause learning crisis in Chitral
Students cross a makeshift bridge over a stream in Yarkhoon valley, Upper Chitral. — Dawn CHITRAL: Education of hundreds of schoolchildren across Chitral valley has been severely disrupted following a spate of climate change-induced glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) and flash floods triggered by cloudbursts, which have washed away critical road and bridge infrastructure. In Lower Chitral, the…
Chitral Valley faces a significant education crisis due to a series of floods caused by climate change. These floods, including glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) and flash floods triggered by cloudbursts, have destroyed bridges and roads, leaving students without access to their schools. In Lower Chitral, 20 bridges have been washed away, separating villages and cutting off students from their educational institutions.
Yaqub Khan, former union nazim of Karimabad, highlighted that children from opposite sides of streams now cannot attend school due to the absence of bridges. He recalled the tragic loss of seven senior students in 2016 when a snow avalanche overran a stream during a trek to class. The current situation, following the re-opening of schools on July 1, has been exacerbated by recent flash floods that destroyed 12 more bridges.
Similar issues persist in the Arkari valley and Garam Chashma areas, with flash floods demolishing vital bridges, creating a major connectivity crisis. In Upper Chitral, the River Chitral's bridges were washed away, leaving hundreds of students stranded. Mohammad Wazir Khan, chairman of the Mastuj-Broghil Road Movement, described the situation as heartbreaking, particularly in Unawuch village, where students are forced to cross a dangerous, unstable river using makeshift wooden bridges to reach their schools.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
