SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Heavy and continuous monsoon rains have lashed various parts of South Waziristan, triggering severe flash floods, soil erosion of agricultural land and transportation routes.
The flooding has disrupted daily life and caused substantial economic losses to local communities, particularly farmers. Locals report that in several parts of the region, the forceful currents of floodwaters have resulted in significant soil erosion and land degradation.
This erosion has damaged fertile agricultural fields, destroying standing crops and undermining the livelihoods of many farmers who depend heavily on their harvests. Additionally, several roads and access routes have been washed away or severely damaged, further isolating affected villages and complicating relief efforts.
Residents and experts alike attribute much of the devastation to the absence of adequate flood protection measures. Despite the region’s vulnerability to monsoon flooding, protective embankments and flood walls — which could mitigate the impact of rising waters — have either not been constructed or remain incomplete. This critical infrastructure gap has left communities exposed to the full force of seasonal floods.
South Waziristan’s mountainous area experiences rapid sliding during heavy rains, and without the presence of strong protection walls it becomes difficult to protect he agrarian land. Beside this there is lack of water retention structures, much of this valuable water is lost instead of being conserved for agricultural and domestic use. Locals emphasise that the lack of such minor dam projects has contributed both to the severity of flood damage and to missed opportunities for water resource management in an otherwise water-scarce region.
The affected communities, while talking to Pakhtun Digital voiced strong concerns over the long period of neglect they believe has occurred during the past twelve years under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
They allege that developmental projects, including vital flood protection and water conservation initiatives, were overlooked in South Waziristan’s underdeveloped areas. The failure to address these infrastructural needs has made the region increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters.
In light of the current crisis, local residents are demanding urgent government intervention. They call for the immediate construction of protective embankments and flood control walls, the initiation of small dam projects to capture and store rainwater, and swift relief operations to assist those displaced or affected by the flooding.
Community leaders stress that proactive measures are essential to safeguard lives, protect livelihoods, and build resilience against future natural calamities. They warn that without meaningful investment in infrastructure and disaster preparedness, such devastation may recur with each monsoon season.
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