Five more fall prey to K-P devastating rains

Flash floods unleashed by persistent heavy rainfall have killed at least five people and left a dozen seriously injured in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Sunday.

The torrential rains have left many high and dry, triggered landslides, blocked roads and damaged houses in several villages and valleys of Lower Chitral, including Shishikoh and Arandu.

Dead bodies of at least four people, including a woman, who perished in a landslide near the Pak-Afghan border were recovered from a river and later buried in their ancestral cemeteries. However, other members of the house were to said to have remained unharmed during the incident.

A child also lost his life after the roof of the house collapsed in Shishikoh valley due to the downpour.

Meanwhile, destruction also mounted in Upper Chitral district’s Reshun Nullah, Pasum Gol, Chuinj Payeen, Parkushap, Khuz Payeen and Brep villages.

Khuz Payeen was flooded for the third time since the onslaught of torrential rains began. The unsparing deluges destroyed many houses and other property, killed livestock and washed away vehicles.

Similarly, the downpour-induced flash floods destroyed water schemes and irrigation channels in the area. The flooding in Khuz Nullah destroyed many houses, irrigation channels and water schemes. The floodwater also inundated a school and petrol pump in Brep.

'District administration inadequate’

The people of the Khuz area said that flash floods have destroyed their houses forcing them to move to mountains for fear of more floods as they fend for themselves under an open sky. They criticised the district administration’s ‘failure’ to come to their rescue and relief.

The victims in Upper Chitral described the administration's relief activities as “totally inadequate” and said that the performance of NDMA, PDMA and administration amounted to “zero”.

The residents deplored that the victims have been left at the mercy of NGOs and other organisations as they strongly demanded that the government took immediate steps for the restoration of food, transportation, canal system and drinking water.

Meanwhile, special assistant to the K-P chief minister, Wazir Zada, along with other officers of the district administration visited the flood-impacted area of  Shishikoh.

The officers expressed their sympathy to the families of the deceased and distributed relief items. Rescue 1122 teams along with local people participated in the relief activities in the areas reeling from the flood. Those still stranded in flood waters were immediately taken to safer places.

More floods expected

Meanwhile, the NDMA advised all concerned provincial and federal ministries and emergency departments to ensure prior arrangements to cope with flash floods predicted in rivers and nullahs of Eastern Balochistan.

According to the NDMA advisory, the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has forecasted moderate flash flooding in the rivers and nullahs of Eastern Balochistan during the next 24 hours and heavy flooding after 24 hours.

It added that 'medium to high-level flooding' is expected in Kabul River at Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tributaries of rivers Kabul and Indus, in Sindh, till Monday.

A day earlier, nine persons were killed and 17 others were injured in rain-related incidents in different areas of the province, said casualties updates shared by the PDMA.

The authority started the distribution of relief goods among the rain-affected people of districts D I Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan.