CHITRAL: The residents of Broghil in Upper Chitral have demanded of government to take measures on emergency basis to save their yaks and other animals from perishing due to shortage of fodder during the current winter season.

Talking to Dawn on telephone from Yarkhun valley, former village nazim Amin Jan Tajik said that extended spell of torrential rains during the harvesting season of grass (fodder) in July and August lastyear affected the grass yield.

He said the local species of grass was the major source of fodder for animals in the valley which they harvested and stored during the summer season, but this year the unusual scale of rains had spoiled the cache of dried grass, causing their decay.

He said that due to the extreme climatic conditions in the valley, farming was not possible there leaving the people to depend on livestock keeping as the main source of income for their sustenance while they sold their yaks to earn hard cash.

Mr Tajik said the death of a yak meant a loss of Rs300,000 and the residents were fearing the starvation of their animals, as the local grass fields were covered by more than three feet of snow.

He said the little stockpile of the dried grass had been exhausted due to premature snowfall in the month of November after which the grazing of the animals in the grassy fields was stopped.

The former village nazim said that the road to the valley had also been blocked in upper Yarkhun due to the snow, which could be opened to vehicular traffic if machinery was employed there, but no work had been started there.

He said the loss of yaks in large numbers would be tantamount to economic catastrophe for the residents and added that opening of the road for transportation of fodder to the valley was inevitable.

The Upper Chitral DC did not respond to phone call despite repeated efforts to get his comments.