PDMA issues floods warning for K-P

More rains expected from July 28; CM orders expansion of Rescue 1122 service

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has once again issued urban, flash and riverine flooding alerts for all district of the province as more rains are expected in the region from July 28.

On Thursday Kohat, Peshawar and some other districts received torrential rains once again causing problems for the local residents.

In Kohat a heavy downpour turned roads into veritable ponds which disrupted traffic and caused great inconvenience to the local residents for hours.

“Repeated warnings have been issued by the provincial government that more and more rains are expected in the province in the coming days but still there is no system to clean the drains choked with plastic bags in Kohat district,” said a local resident while talking to The Express Tribune.

While the heavy downpour made weather pleasant in Peshawar valley, it also caused much hassle to the general public in low-lying areas.

PDMA said that there was no loss of life or property so far. However, the power supply was completely disrupted in these cities.

Rainwater inundated areas in Saddar, Cantonment, University road, Suri Pull, Hashtnagri, Ring Road, Chargano Chowk, Kohat road and inner city.

The service of Bus Rapid Transit was also affected due to accumulation of rainwater at various junctions and underpasses.

Many vehicles including motorbikes and cars went out of order due to accumulation of rainwater on roads. The hapless riders were left with no option but to push their vehicles for long distances.

During the last 24 hours, scattered to widespread rain-wind-thundershower with isolated heavy falls was reported from Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Kohistan, Torghar, Buner, Swabi and Mardan, Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Shangla, Swat, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat, Hangu, Kurram, Orakzai, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, DI Khan, North and South Waziristan districts.

Rescue 1122 service

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the Relief and Rehabilitation Department to expand the Rescue-1122 service to all tehsils in the province.

In view of the changing conditions and climatic variations, CM Mahmood Khan has always taken personal interest in establishing Rescue-1122 and expanding the service.

On the special instructions of CM Department of Planning and Development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa not only approved the plans for several districts, but in many districts the Rescue-1122 service is operational today and this series is now expanding to the Tehsil level.

In a statement, the chief minister said that all the available resources would be utilized to strengthen the Rescue-1122 on modern lines with the aim to ensure the availability of timely rescue services to the citizen.

In the relief sector, in the last fiscal year, the Planning and Development Department, Provincial Development Working Party meeting approved plans worth about Rs10 billion for the establishment of new substations in the province including the newly merged districts.

The relief operations were underway due to heavy rains in the affected districts of the province.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2022.