Never prepared: Heavy rain, flash floods leave Khyber-Pakhtunkwa without respite

Nearly 1,000 families remain stranded in Naltar Valley .

CHITRAL/ GILGIT/ SWAT/ DI KHAN:

Heavy rain and flash floods have continued to wreak havoc in various parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. 

Even though Chitral remains most affected by the natural calamity, the situation remains critical across the province.

Trail of destruction

The deluge and flood have left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Over 200 acres of arable land in Thathal and Kacha areas of DI Khan have been inundated. According to residents, crops have been destroyed in the region.

Nearly 1,000 families have remained stranded in Gilgit’s Naltar Valley for over a week as roads leading to the valley have been swept away by floods and landslides.

“The valley has been disconnected for the past 11 days and the situation is getting worse with each passing day,” Binyameen, a resident of Naltar, told The Express Tribune. “There is an acute shortage of food items and medicines as access is blocked.”

A flash flood hit Kharmang Valley of Baltistan on Sunday night. According to official reports, some 20 bridges and 10 houses have been damaged.

In Diamer, the destruction of water channels has threatened to cause damage to crops and trees.

The rains and flood have also resulted in a series of indirect consequences. The prices of vegetables in DI Khan have also increased. Residents have asked the relevant authorities to regulate the prices.

Crisis management

Efforts are being made to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the district administration in Chitral distributed relief items for 200 families in Ramboor and Bumboret valleys on Monday. Work is also under way to reconstruct roads and link bridges which were damaged.

A series of measures have also been taken to find a causal link between the calamity and the activities of locals. Furthermore, former nazim of Chitral tehsil Sartaj Ahmad Khan has pressed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to take measures to prevent deforestation to protect the district from floods in the future. Nevertheless, some areas have remained largely inaccessible.

Speaking at a news conference at Chitral Press Club on Monday, he said a campaign would be started to protect Chitral from such disasters in future.

“Deforestation in the district has led to this catastrophe,” said Sartaj Ahmad, “The forest department has turned a blind eye to the ruthless chopping of trees.”



The former nazim has urged the government to provide electricity free of cost to the district from Golen Hydel project.

“This will prevent the cutting of trees to address electricity requirements,” he said. “The government should train people to give priority to environment and set up a liquefied natural gas depot.”

The deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner of DI Khan visited Umerkhel and Kacha Paka areas which were most affected by the floods.

According to an official of the district administration, both the DC and AC have distributed food and medicines among the affected population and vowed to help them through their hour of need. At least 60 inmates at central jail in DI Khan have been shifted to Bannu Central Jail after some of the walls of the facility collapsed a day earlier.

Meanwhile, the district government of Swat has decided to postpone the Kalam Festival. According to insiders, a date for the festival has yet to be announced. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Swat Commissioner Muhammad Aslam Wazir, Commissioner Swat said the festival, which was scheduled for August 11, has been postponed in view of the ongoing crisis.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2015.