Phagora
| Phagora | |
|---|---|
 <div style="position: absolute; top: Expression error: Missing operand for *.%; left: -302.5%; height: 0; width: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"> Phagora | |
| Country |
 Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Elevation | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
Phagora is a village of union council Rajdhari in Battagram District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along the main silk route or Shahrai resham. Phagora is one of the biggest villages in Battagram and is located in mountainous area of Hazara Division. Phagora is seven Kilometres from District Headquarter Battagram and 200 kilometres from capital of Pakistan Islamabad.
Temperature of the area remains moderate usually, however the summer goes up to peak 30°C sometime and winter below 10°C.
Demographics
Phagora is a Pashtun area and the main tribe living in Phagora is Swatis along with other minorities Gujars and Hindkies. In the main village subsections of Swatis are Bhai Khail, Niral Khail, Ghouri Khail and the fourth is akhunzaa but historically the akhunzaadgan are not a tribe like these three however now they are known as a fourth trib of phagora . Main language spoken in Phagora is Pashto.
Education
Education facilities in the area are only up to middle level and there is no high school or college in the village. One of the oldest schools is Government Boys Middle school Phagora. Although the school has been upgraded about a decade ago to a high school however the high school section has not yet been opened. This may be due to the inadequate attention of Government and the dissatisfaction of the local people over the standard of education being provided in government schools. The private sector has recently initaited schools in the village and two schools are operative in private sector, however both are up to the middle level.
Girls education schools were only up to primary level until recently one of the school has been upgraded to Middle level. There are also primary schools for boys and girls in surroundings areas of Phagora. Overall, literacy rate in area is not appreciable. Government Degree college Battagram is located within a mile from the village.
Health facilities
Public sector health facility in the area is a Basic Health Unit Phagora located in front of the village. Tertiary healthcare facility for the people is main district headquarters hospital Battagram. Overall public health facilities in the area are extremely poor. The BHU is not sufficient to cater the needs of this thickly populated area. Most people rely on private sector facilities for medical treatment. Many people go to Abbottabad to avail tertiary health facilities and this causes excessive burden on the locals to afford very expensive treatment provided by private outlets.
Economy
Overall economic situation of Phagora is not highly appreciable. With growing population, the area is heavily dependent on male out migration for economic purposes. Locals migrate either to industrialized cities in Pakistan to work as labors or to Gulf countries to support their families. Another source of income is local arid agriculture and cattle farming. However with increasing inflation this does seem a viable long term option for many locals. Some people have successfully set up local business in the village and in the main city of Battagram.
Earthquake 2005
The area was struck by a massive earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes on October 8, 2005.[1] The main village was badly destroyed as the mud houses could not afford the quake waves and beside some precious human lives and casualties many people were displaced from their homes.