Woman dies, five injured in torrential rains in K-P
Many tourists were stranded on Tuesday after a mass of glacier fell and blocked the Kalam Bahrain main highway in Swat. PHOTO: EXPRESS
A woman died and five people sustained injuries during torrential rains, hail storms and dusty winds that continued in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for the third day in a row on Tuesday.
Heavy rainfall partially destroyed fourteen houses, while nine houses were totally collapsed across the province.
In recent snow and rains Upper Dir was hit the most and North Waziristan was also severely affected by the weather.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) was continuously employing efforts in clearing roads in Shangla and merged tribal areas of the province. A close coordination was also ongoing between the district administration and the PDMA of K-P for reporting details of the damages.
Thuderstorm and rain affected other parts of the country, including Islamabad, Punjab, North and Central Balochistan, upper Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan, while Kalam, Malamjabba and Astore were hit by snowfall.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast, dry weather would continue in most parts of the country, while cloudy weather with the chances of rain and snow over high mountains at a few places in upper K-P, Kashmir, G-B and Potohar region during morning hours was expected in the next 24 hours.
A strong westerly wave was affecting the upper and central parts of the country and might continue in the upper parts till Wednesday morning, the PMD office reported.
On Wednesday more widespread rain with wind and thunderstorm is expected in all districts of K-P, while heavy to very heavy rainfall and a few hailstorms are also expected in the province. Heavy rainfall may trigger landslides in Chitral, Upper Dir, Upper Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Mansehra and Battagram districts. Flash floods are also expected in the river, streams and local nullahs and urban flooding in Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Abbottabad and DI Khan.
The PMD’s record of rainfall in millimeter in Punjab was: Toba Tek Singh 68, Murree 35, Faisalabad 33, Attock and Khanewal 30, Islamabad (Zero point 28, Saidpur and Golra 27, Bokra 26 and Airport 22), Bhakkar 28, Hafizabad 27, Chakwal, Jhang, Joharabad and Sargodha city 26, Noorpur Thal 25, Jhelum 24, Mangla 22, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad 23 and Chaklala 20), Bahawalpur (Airport 20 and City 11), Multan (Airport 18 and City 17), Gujranwala and Gujarat 14, Sialkot (Airport 12 and City 08), Mandi Bahauddin 12, Sahiwal 11, Narowal 12, Layyah 9, Khanpur 7, Lahore (City 7 and Airport 2), Kasur and Rahim Yar Khan 6), DG Khan 5, Bahawalnagar, Kot Addu and Okara 03.
The record of rainfall in K-P was: Malam Jabba 65, Dir (Upper 51 and Lower 34), Mirkhani 43, Peshawar 41, Cherat 40, Saidu Sharif 38, Parachinar 25, Takht Bai 24, Balakot 23, Bannu and Kalam 19, Chitral 18 and DI Khan 11.
Meanwhile, the rainfall in Balochistan was: Quetta (Observatory 55 and Samungli 2), Barkhan 22, Sibbi 16, Zhob 14 and Kalat 1.
Also in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the record of rainfall in millimetre was: Garhi Dupatta 45, Rawalakot 41, Muzaffarabad (Airport 32 and City 24) and Kotli 32.
In Sindh, the record of the rainfall was: Jacobabad 29, Larkana and Mohen-jo-dharo 04 and Dadu 03.
Besides, in G-B, the record was: Astor and Skardu 17, Bagrote, Bunji and Chillas 03, Gilgit 02 and Gupis 01.
In Kalam and Malam Jabba, the snowfall was recorded 5 and 4 inches respectively. The minimum temperatures were recorded in Kalam -03, Malamjabba and Leh -02.