Flash floods trigger fear: Emergency shelters set up in Kalash valleys

The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat Pakistan has established emergency safe shelters across the Kalash valleys of Bamburate, Rambur and Birir in Chitral, to provide immediate safety to the local communities and tourists during the very hours of the flash floods. Several residents of the valleys stated that the initiative called ‘Increasing Communities’ Resilience to Climate Change’ (ICRCC), funded by the government of Denmark, has significantly enhanced their ability to cope with natural hazards. They said that these shelters were strategically designed to provide immediate refuge for affected families, their livestock, and visitors stranded during and after flash floods, which have become increasingly common in the region since 2010.