Kohistan flood victims await compensation.

MANSEHRA -- Around 1,800 families whose houses were washed away in recent flash floods in Lower Kohistan district are yet to receive the compensation money announced by the government.

'The government had announced Rs400,000 for each house destroyed in the recent flash floods and Rs120,000 each for families whose houses were partially damaged, but most of the displaced families are still without money as harsh winter is around the corner,' Shamsul Haq, a local social activist, told mediapersons.

A group of people led by Mr Haq said that they were still living with their relatives and in schools and other facilities in the congested environment.

They said that they couldn't rebuild their houses as the Provincial Disaster Management Authority was yet to transfer the compensation amount to their accounts.

'The mountainous areas in the district have started receiving snowfall and shortly the weather will turn harsh, increasing our problems,' he said.

Mr Haq claimed that some of the affected families received the SMS to get their compensation amount from banks, but the amount was yet to be transferred to their accounts. He said the government should expedite the money transfer so that the displaced families could reconstruct their houses.

When contacted, Lower...