Rains upset lives in K-P, Balochistan

Climate Minister Sherry Rehman says large parts of country can face floods in aftermath of downpours in coming days

QUETTA/ DI KHAN:

Rains – that have kicked off before their scheduled season of monsoon — have caused destruction in different parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, sweeping away bridges, wrecking roads and destroying homes as well as crops, besides killing people and leaving several injured, the provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs) said.

According to a K-P Disaster Management Authority report, the rains have killed two people and injured three in the last 24 hours.

The report added that 13 houses were partially damaged and four cattle lost their lives.

The loss of life and damage to property occurred mainly in Dera Ismail Khan district.

The K-P PDMA director general has instructed the authorities concerned to begin immediate relief operations in the affected areas.

Heavy rains in Dera Ismail Khan and its suburbs have severely disrupted normal life. Thunderstorms with hail were reported in Paniala, Paharpur and their adjoining areas.

The rains uprooted trees and severely damaged orchards.

Also read: Met Office forecasts torrential rains across country from today

A motor vehicle was caught in a flood near Wanda Hebati and its occupant was swept away in the rally. Losses worth millions of rupees were reported due to rainwater entering homes and shops.

The falling of trees, collapsing of roofs and walls and various other rain-related accidents caused injuries to dozens of people.

The electricity system was in disarray and power could not be restored even after an entire day in many areas.

The Babusar Road, which was temporarily closed due to heavy rains and snowfall, was reopened to all types of traffic as the weather conditions improved.

Earlier in the morning, the Diamer district administration had stopped traffic at Babusar Top due to snowfall and severe weather conditions.

Diamer Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Ahmed has directed the tourist police and local volunteer force to be on alert to provide assistance and facilities to the tourists on Babusar Road.

According to a statement issued by the Balochistan PDMA, the road connecting the Sonari area of the province’s Kohlu district to Quetta had been swept away by flooding and several bridges were damaged.

Floods had also swept away electricity poles in Kohlu and the rainfall in Barkhan damaged crops.

The PDMA said many parts of the province continued to be lashed by rains, with heavy showers in Sibi, Kohlu, Ziarat, Quetta, Chaman, Harnai, Loralai, Sherani, Musa Khel, Barkhan and Zhob.

Thunderstorms and gusty winds have been reported in Sibi, Kohlu, Ziarat, Quetta, Harnai, Loralai, Sherani, Musakhel, Barkhan, Zhob, Kalat and Khuzdar, it added.

In Sibi, the PDMA added, four women and a man lost their lives when floods had swept away a truck on Sunday.

According to Levies, the tragedy had taken place when the truck tried to cross the Beji River despite heavy floods.

Citing the Met Office, the PDMA statement said the current spell of pre-monsoon rains in Balochistan was expected to continue till Wednesday (today).

Rains with strong winds and thundershowers are expected in K-P, Central Punjab, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir on Wednesday.

Also read: Minister calls for precautionary measures as flood fears mount

The weather will remain hot and dry in other parts of the country. According to the Meteorological Department, landslides are expected in K-P, Galyat, Kashmir and G-B due to heavy rains. Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in all parts of Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Lahore. The weak infrastructure in G-B is at risk of damage.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said large parts of the country could face floods in the aftermath of torrential rains in the coming days, adding that there was a "clear risk of flooding in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Islamabad and other big cities".

However, the rains have filled the reservoirs of the water-starved country.

The water storage in Tarbela Dam on Tuesday stood at 28,000 acres feet, according to a Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) spokesperson.

He added that the water storage in Mangla Dam and Chashma was 134,000 and 14,000 acres feet, respectively.

(With input from our correspondents in Islamabad and Chilas)