Paktika’s Gomal district flood victims demand assistance

SHARANA (Pajhwok): Residents of Gomal district of southeastern Paktika province on Monday asked the government to assist recent floods-affected families in rebuilding their houses.

Arriving in Sharana, the provincial capital, the Gomal district residents said recent floods damaged their houses, agricultural lands and crops, but they had not been helped by the government or aid agencies.

They asked the government and aid giving agencies to hear their voice and provide them with necessary assistance.

Sher Muhammad, a religious scholar from Gomal District, told Pajhwok Afghan News that recent floods had destroyed their homes, agriculture land and swept away their cattle, but no one had so far assisted them. “We want to be helped.”

According to him, the residents of the district were facing economic and other problems before, but the floods further affected them.

Another tribal leader of the district, Haji Karim, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the recent floods had destroyed around 1,000 acres of agricultural land and destroyed their livelihoods for the whole year.

He requested the government and aid agencies to pay attention to Gomal’s flood victims,  who are economically weak, and provide them with necessary assistance.

“Let me tell you about myself. I had 1,200 apple trees, but not a single one was left. All the apples were washed away in floodwaters.”

He said people in the district lost their homes, gardens and crops to the floods and they desperately needed assistance.

A resident of the district, Mohammad Isa, told Pajhwok that the floods damaged more than 60 houses in the district and also destroyed roads  due to which people were facing problems.

He said if the government and aid agencies did not provide immediate assistance to the victims, they would face economic disaster.

The Department of Disaster Management in Paktika confirms the damage caused by the floods in Gomal district and assures that assistance will be provided to the affected families.

Director of this agency, Mufti Muhammad Salim, told Pajhwok that their survey teams are working in all the districts of Paktika, where people are affected by floods, so that necessary assistance can be given to them.

He added: “We are working on this. We have provided assistance in some districts. We will also provide Gomal residents with tents and the department will also provide rice to them. We have sent videos to the ministry and aid giving agencies so that action can be taken in this regard.”

The Disaster Management Department has not yet determined how many houses, agricultural lands and crops have been damaged by the recent floods in Paktika, but they say they are busy collecting accurate numbers.

According to reports, the recent floods hit Gomal, Orgun, Khoshamand, Dela, Sara Roza, Matakhan, Sarobi, Khairkot, Wazakhwa and Qarmami districts, causing heavy damage to people’s houses, domestic animals, agricultural lands and crops.

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