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BUNER, Oct 17 (APP):As autumn fades into a harsh northern winter, a quiet desperation lingers across the flood-hit valleys of Buner and Swat, increasing problems of flood victims.
Beneath flapping plastic sheets and makeshift shelters at Buner and Swat districts, thousands of families still await KP government assistance that remains elusive nearly two months after catastrophic flash floods upended their lives.
The devastating floods of August 15 swept through northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), submerging homes, destroying crops, and leaving behind a landscape of loss and despair with many questions needs urgent answered.
In the town of Pir Baba, 62-year-old Riaz Shah stands barefoot on the muddy remnants of what used to be his three-marla home. The daily wage labourer now sleeps under a donated tarp with five young grandchildren, bracing against the biting cold that creeps in with every sunset.
“I used to have a home in Pir Baba,” he says, pointing to a cracked cement slab. “Now, I have a plastic sheet and children remained upset through the night because of the cold.”
The floods reduced his modest home built with decades of labor to rubble in minutes on August 15, forcing him to run to safer place.
Everything his family owns now fits beneath a sagging sheet. With snowy winter closing in fast, Riaz estimates he needs Rs2 million to rebuild it. But like many others, he’s seen no sign of the KP government aid that was promised.
Buner is far from alone in its suffering. Across northern KP, flood waters left devastation in their wake as flattened homes, submerged fields, collapsed roads, and lost livelihoods saddened many.
In towns like Daggar Buner and remote hamlets across Swat, entire communities remain trapped in a cycle of despair and delay.
“Our crops are gone, our cattle are gone, and we’re still waiting,” says Khalid Buneri, standing by the ruins of his grain store. “The KP ministers and advisers came, posed for photos, gave us tents that barely stand in the wind and then left.”
As the cold intensifies, residents now pin their hopes on newly appointed Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, urging his government to act decisively before snow seals off these mountain communities entirely.
Many survivors describe a bureaucracy bogged down in red tape. Names were added to compensation lists, documents were verified, and signatures collected but funds have yet to arrive.
“There are apps for compensation besides tall promises,” says Riaz. “But most of us can’t read or use a smartphone.”
Under former CM Ali Amin Gandapur, the provincial government announced Rs5 billion in emergency relief, including Rs100,000 per affected household and additional aid for shopkeepers, families of the deceased, and even undocumented children. But survivors say these pledges remain largely on paper.
“The compensation is like salt in flour,” says Khalid. “Too little, too scattered and too slow to save us from what’s coming.”
As temperatures fall below 20°C in upper KP, the urgency among displaced families is growing. Nights are longer and colder. Families cook over open fires, wrap children in layers of clothing, and pray their temporary shelters survive the coming storms.
“We are not asking for luxuries,” says Khalid. “Just a roof. Some blankets. Food. Clean water.”
But the wounds go beyond material loss. Beneath the physical hardship lies a growing sense of abandonment.
“This is not just about compensation,” he adds. “It’s about dignity. We are citizens, not beggars. We lost everything and needs urgent support of CM Sohail Afridi”
Across the hills of Pir Baba, the sound of hammering is rare. Construction has yet to begin. Relief efforts have slowed I’m flood hit areas of Buner and Swat on ground.
For many, the wait is no longer just for shelter but for recognition. For justice and equity. For the promises made under the media spotlight to finally translate into action.
As winter bears down on the pine-covered slopes of northern KP, the flood victims of Buner and Swat aren’t pleading for sympathy. They are demanding accountability. They do not want speeches and cutting ribbons they need shelter ahead of harsh winter. They do not want promises they need protection.
And until that help comes on fast track basis, the wind-blown tarps and crumbling walls will stand as quiet witnesses to a flood tragedy still unfolding one of nature, yes, but also of neglect and inequity in assistance of flood compensation.