Residents and environmental experts in Chitral have urged authorities to immediately construct a continuous chain of protective bulwarks along the Chitral River, warning that the region faces an increasingly severe flood threat as summer approaches.
Communities across the valley say vast stretches of Chitral remain dangerously exposed to annual flooding, a problem that has intensified over the past two decades. From Broghil Valley in the north to Arandu near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, residents report accelerating river erosion that is steadily consuming settlements and farmland.
Locals attribute the growing destruction to rising temperatures and rapid glacial melt, which have made the river more aggressive during peak summer months. In Ayun alone, residents estimate that nearly one-third of the area’s already scarce cultivable land has been washed away.
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Widespread damage across valleys
Flood-related damage has been reported across multiple regions. Villages in Yarkhun Valley, including Dubarger, Pawer, and Kargin, have suffered repeated losses. In the Biyar area, Reshun and Green Lasht remain highly vulnerable, while Shoghor in Lot Koh Valley continues to face serious flood risks.
In Lower Chitral, residents of Ayun, Khairabad, Drosh, Upper Broze, and Naghar say the threat of displacement looms every summer.
Calls for long-overdue protection
Former provincial lawmaker Syed Sardar Hussain Shah said Chitral has needed a comprehensive river protection strategy for decades, but successive governments failed to implement proposed flood defence projects.
He warned that the loss of agricultural land is particularly alarming, as cultivable land accounts for only about four per cent of Chitral’s total area. Shah said villages such as Ayun, Green Lasht, Kargin and Junali Koch could have been safeguarded had protective walls been constructed in time.
He pointed to examples in Upper Chitral and Kalash Valley Rumbur, where large-scale bulwarks have successfully protected communities from repeated flood damage.
Climate change intensifying risks
Environmental experts say the danger is likely to worsen. Chitral-based ecologist Hamid Mir noted that the region is home to more than 500 glaciers, many of which are melting at an accelerated pace due to climate change.
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He warned that high-intensity floods are expected to become more frequent and said several glaciers are already considered vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods.
According to him, permanent and continuous protection structures along the river may now be the only viable option to safeguard settlements across the valley.
Residents fear that without swift and coordinated action, repeated flooding could permanently erase several historic villages, threatening livelihoods, food security, and the cultural heritage of Chitral.
