Tariq Saeed Peshawar
The lightning, torrential rains coupled with floods and land-sliding which was continuing wreaking havoc in the country for the last a few days, has claimed over 60 lives including 21 people in different parts of the KP. Over three dozens people have received injuries. Those killed include nine men, three women and nine children.
Besides, around 330 houses were damaged completely or partially with scores of cattle also perished as a number of road links between several districts were also cut down and standing crops destroyed.
Chitral lower, Swat, Dir Upper, Bajaur and Malakand remained hard hit while minor property damages were also reported from the provincial metropolis with National Disaster Management Authority issuing alerts about possible floods in River Swat, Pangore and Kabul.
The water flows in Kabul River at Nowshera and its tributaries are likely to remain in medium to high floods during the next 48 hours and may affect outskirts of Nowshera district and the district administrations as well other concerned departments have been asked to remain alert and adopt all precautionary measures in order to effectively deal with emergency and avoid loss of lives, damages to infrastructure, crops and cattle, etc. The water flow of River Kabul at Nowshera was recorded 98,500 cusecs apprehended to be increased higher leading to high flood in the region. According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority KP report released Monday afternoon at least 8 people including four children, three women and one male were killed in various district in related incidents that included caving in of the rooftops and drowning in flash floods. Likewise over a dozen people including four women, two kids and four males injured seriously in various incidents.
Furthermore, as the PDMA said, in different districts of KP around 90 houses were damaged fully or partially due to torrential rains while landsliding as many districts cut down road links between many districts.
Keeping in view the possible flood situation due to ongoing spell of torrential rains in the province, “Emergency Flood Control Room” has been established at Chief Minister’s Secretariat, with the purpose to coordinate with relevant stakeholders regarding all kinds of activities/information and emergencies across the province.