Rains damage infrastructure in Peshawar, Chitral
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains caused massive destruction in the Kandia tehsil of Upper Kohistan on Sunday as at least 50 houses and mini-power stations were washed away, an official said.
The flooding coincides with heavy rains in Chitral and Peshawar, where one person died and two were injured in the last 24 hours, according to the PDMA.
Tehsildar (revenue officer) Muhammad Riaz told media that around 50 houses were swept away in the floods in Upper Kohistan, adding that he has constituted five teams that have been dispatched to the affected areas for relief work and the assessment of losses.
A local activist’s estimates of the devastation were much higher, while another spoke of the challenges of being cut off from the electric grid and potable water.
He said a large number of cattle were also killed, while water supply systems in four villages — Dansh, Berti, Jashoi and Dangoi — were damaged, though fortunately, families managed to evacuate before the floods reached the villages.
Another Kandia resident, Aziz Khan, said the suspension of electricity and water supply has “put the entire area in trouble”.
“Initially we had sent 45 tents and other essential items to the affected families while a team of revenue officers will reach affected areas in an hour to start relief activities,” Tehsildar Riaz said.
Dassu headquarters Assistant Commissioner Hafiz Waqar Ahmad said that some heavy machines of the Dassu hydropower project also came under rubble dislodged by flooding at Uchar Nala, however, the losses were not significant.
