A beautiful village of UC Mulkow
at a height of about 8,000 feet from sea level called Phargram comprises of 37 households.
There is no other village above Phargram however adjacent to it, Uthool lies on
its north east and Nogram on its south. The village is full of the best poplar trees
of Chitral, walnut and apricots.
It was 22nd of July 2015. Probably,
evening time or dusk. The inhabitants of Phargram Uthool Mulkow were busy and
closing the day. The clouds were hovering above the Hindukush ranges connected
to the the valley on its north. For the last two-three days, there were news of
floods in different valleys of Chitral such as Kuragh, Reshun , Broze etc. These
villages had fast flowing streams (Gol) and glacier melt was predictable.
However, Phargram had no such Gol and
glacier to alert the inhabitants. All of a sudden there was thunder and a quick
downpour. The women of Phargram started shoving their cattle into their cattle
houses (Shal). The Children of the
village started giggling, dancing and running to their houses to avoid getting
wet. The men of the village were worried about the wheat fields which were
ready to harvest. Some, who had harvested, started collecting the bales. But
the rain was too fast. So, they tried to hide in their houses. The typical
Chitrali houses made up of mud-bricks and roofs with wooden pillars. Some
economically stable families had also tin sheets on their roof and the heavy
rain was rattling making the tin sheets sound like drums. Sudden and fast rain
settles down soon. That’s what they say in the mountains. So, the people of
Phargram waited under their roof. But this time it was not just the rain. All
of a sudden the rain brought stones and mud washed away from the top of the
mountains and barren areas above fields. There was a thrashing sound of falling
trees and a roar of fast muddy water entering the houses like snakes. The villagers having close neighborhood
started shouting and running. But there was flood in three different ravines. Those
whose houses were first hit were dumbed under the roof and mud bricks including
a family of seven. An orphan young man ran away and the gushing water hit his
house like a rocket making hole in the roof and washing away all that he had in
the small houses. More than 10,000 trees were washed away which are a source of
income generation and fuel wood for the people. Many fields were washed away
which were the only products of subsistence farming the inhabitants were
engaged in. All the irrigation channels were washed away. Alongside this sudden
catastrophe it was getting darker and darker. All people ran in fear and worry
and by dark he who was alive thought the other was dead. Some of the villagers managed to gather at an
open space. The rain stopped but the cries of the children didn’t. The night
was spent under the open sky. The open sky,being the only witness of this
tragedy. No one slept that night.
The next dawn was not a usual
dawn. What the eyes were able to see the minds were not able to comprehend. The
beautiful village was washed away. More than 10 houses were completely washed
away. Eight people died. Assets were lost. Fields were no more fields. It was no more the same place. I visited the
place after ten days of flood and I couldn’t recognize the houses. The people
are still waiting for relief packages from God because now God is their only
hope as the only helicopter that landed there after flood brought only few
medicines and was gone. However, the helipad is still there with an “H’’. I for
a moment thought, H stands for Hope, not for Helipad.
