Torrential rains in K-P: Flash floods destroy houses, crops in Tank
Locals protest against authorities for not repairing protective dykes that were destroyed in the 2010 floods.
PESHAWAR:
Torrential rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have managed to destroy what little was left in the province’s Tank district after last year’s devastating floods, locals said.
Reminiscent of the 2010 floods - considered to be the country’s worst natural disaster - the three-day rain spell has left dozens of houses damaged and standing crops on thousands of acres destroyed in Tank.
Locals said that the rain water flooded the rain-fed stream and entered Tank city as well as its outskirts. The rain also damaged the Tank-Bannu Road, which has been shut down for three days.
As a result, locals protested against the authorities for not providing funds for the construction of protective dykes, as well as against the closure of Tank-Peshawar Road. The irate locals also said that the Tank-Bannu Road that was damaged in the Maidan area during the last year’s floods is yet to be repaired.
They added that the current ongoing rains and floods have also destroyed the standing crops of wheat and pulses that were ready for harvest.
Flood waters also entered Pir Kach, Razaq Colony, Faizulluah Colony, Qtub Colony, Degree College, Qadeem Langar graveyard and Koro Khan Areas in the outskirts of the city and damaged dozens of kaacha houses, which had been considerably damaged in last year’s floods.
However, there were no casualties as locals shifted to safer places after an announcement for evacuation was made at the local mosque after initial flood warnings.
The flash floods destroyed the remaining houses that had withstood the fury of last year’s flood, when most of the houses were washed away in rains in the Varoki village.
Locals complained that the authorities did not repair the city protective dykes after they were damaged during last year, and closed the Tank-Peshawar Highway for an hour in protest against district authorities.
Tank district is situated in the southern part of the K-P and shares borders with Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2011.
Torrential rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have managed to destroy what little was left in the province’s Tank district after last year’s devastating floods, locals said.
Reminiscent of the 2010 floods - considered to be the country’s worst natural disaster - the three-day rain spell has left dozens of houses damaged and standing crops on thousands of acres destroyed in Tank.
Locals said that the rain water flooded the rain-fed stream and entered Tank city as well as its outskirts. The rain also damaged the Tank-Bannu Road, which has been shut down for three days.
As a result, locals protested against the authorities for not providing funds for the construction of protective dykes, as well as against the closure of Tank-Peshawar Road. The irate locals also said that the Tank-Bannu Road that was damaged in the Maidan area during the last year’s floods is yet to be repaired.
They added that the current ongoing rains and floods have also destroyed the standing crops of wheat and pulses that were ready for harvest.
Flood waters also entered Pir Kach, Razaq Colony, Faizulluah Colony, Qtub Colony, Degree College, Qadeem Langar graveyard and Koro Khan Areas in the outskirts of the city and damaged dozens of kaacha houses, which had been considerably damaged in last year’s floods.
However, there were no casualties as locals shifted to safer places after an announcement for evacuation was made at the local mosque after initial flood warnings.
The flash floods destroyed the remaining houses that had withstood the fury of last year’s flood, when most of the houses were washed away in rains in the Varoki village.
Locals complained that the authorities did not repair the city protective dykes after they were damaged during last year, and closed the Tank-Peshawar Highway for an hour in protest against district authorities.
Tank district is situated in the southern part of the K-P and shares borders with Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and South Waziristan.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2011.