What to revive?
The economy of Chitral hinges on mixed prospects, opportunities and potential to cash on for sustainable development. Pin tourism on natural landscape and rely on few festivities points to the fact that our ecology of tourism landscape is not fully covered in long term ways and means to sustain and widen this industry.
Past few years, for communities in different villages and areas of Chitral, have been reeling from the brunt of torrential rains and winds, flash floods, water overflows have destroyed settlements, property, roads, power supplies, bridges, pipelines, crossings, lands, crops and livestock. People in peripheral areas, last year, couldn’t reap their wheat crops and other consumables. They remain concerned about their yields to be saved from weather events this year.
It seems that Chitral’s physical landscape is susceptible and prone to the spell of increasingly unexpected system of rainfalls, and weather patterns—remain to be colder in winters and hotter during summer season.
The question remains as how to sustain the physical landscape and continue to cash on it largely depends on climatic spells, and how locals sustainably use available resources. For tourism, at least, reliance on its physical landscape limits Chitral’s capacity to attract diverse people for variety of potential it offers.
The socioeconomic prospects in Chitral are inclusive and enabling diverse people and places to grow on
Isn’t it better to re-cog those things into the wheel of local economy for the larger benefit of local communities in the system of local business chain? The products, once produced in Chitral, have a ripple effect on its economy to grow on cottage and small scale industries in fruits and dry fruits packaging, handicrafts, mats, caps, embroidery, pottery and ring making.
The long term plan for development in Chitral must rely on avenues that bring sustainable outcomes to society. The trickle up approach, and the potential of socioeconomic prospects are inclusive and enabling diverse people and places to grow on. There is much to offer other than Shandur freestyle polo and Broghil yak polo with Kalash community festivities. The handicrafts, embroidery, mats, pottery and ring-making and related products could attract interests in national and international market. Some important steps were taken and the idea of reviving the local economy, through uniquely designed local products, by civil society organizations was an important initiative but locals missed the opportunity to build on the idea and support they received to grow their economies sustainably. To grow fruits and dry fruits packaging, standardizing woolens, and for embroidery productions locals were trained and production spaces were set up but it won’t continue for longer. That infrastructure, continued to facilitate for few years, but locals unfortunately couldn’t cash on it potentially and sustainably.
Notwithstanding, being late in harnessing the potential and prospects of tapping from diverse sources and resources, locals in Chitral rely on scarcely available job market. In fact, the local economy has a potential to grow from the return of uniquely designed and prepared finish goods in both national and international markets. As local economy revives on them it also takes tourism beyond the natural landscape. The homework, however, for marketing of the local products of woolens, embroidery, pottery and rings and related items remains to be demanding and competitive with potential returns.
