Torrential rains leave K-P in a mess

Water damages standing crops, causes urban flooding; traffic suspended between Balochistan, Punjab

PESHAWAR:

Torrential rains and hailstorms that slammed various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), starting last week, have caused serious damage to Kharif crops while inundating different parts of the province including some areas of the provincial capital.

In Peshawar, rainwater gushed into houses in a number of neighborhoods, destroying or damaging electrical household appliances and food supplies. However, no loss of life has so far been reported.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted heavy rain and hailstorm across the K-P a week ago and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had asked district administrations to take precautionary measures.

The rains and hailstorm also caused serious damage to wheat crops, while also damaging fruit orchards in different districts.  According to the website of the Regional Meteorological Centre, partly cloudy to cloudy weather is expected in most districts of the province.

“Widespread rain-wind, thunderstorm associated with dust storm—with isolated heavy rainfall or hailstorm—is likely to occur [in]  Chitral, Lower & Upper Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Shangla, Kohistan, Torghar, Battagram [and] Mansehra…

“Abbottabad, Haripur, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, Hangu, Orakzai, Karak, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan [and] North & South Waziristan districts [may also receive widespread rain and thunderstorm],” it said.

According to the weather warning issued by the PMD regional office on April 26, a westerly wave was likely to enter the country from April 26 and spread over the central and southern parts of the country. It predicted that the wave might persist till the first week of May.

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Meanwhile, torrential rains in Balochistan caused suspension of traffic between Balochistan and Sindh provinces on Monday. Flash floods unleashed by heavy rainfall swept away the Pinjra Bridge in the Bolan mountains of Balochistan. This caused the suspension of traffic between Sindh and Balochistan.

"Various teams are working to reopen the highway," Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Uqaili said. “The highway has been reopened for small vehicles. However, heavy trucks are still stuck in the Bolan mountains,” he added.

Long queues of vehicles were also witnessed on both sides of the road because of the suspension of the traffic. Passengers had to wait for hours to reach their destination.

Floods also washed away roads in different locations on the Quetta-Karachi highway, resulting in suspension of traffic between Quetta and Karachi. However, the district administration of Lasbela and Hub were quick to reopen the traffic.

Rains also caused damages to the mud houses in Balochistan's Kech, Mastung, Pishin and Qilla Abdullah districts. However, no loss of life was reported on Monday.

The PDMA also put its staff on high alert to meet any emergency situation in Balochistan. Besides the PDMA, the administrations of all affected districts have also been put on high alert.

A day earlier, on Sunday, at least eight people died and over a dozen received injuries after torrential rains followed by hail storms hit different parts of Balochistan.

Lasbela, Khuzdar, Musakhel and Naseerabad, Qila Saifullah and Harnai were the most affected areas due to heavy rainfall, prompting the PDMA and local administration to launch a rescue operation in the region to provide relief to people.

According to Initial reports, the torrential rains also caused heavy losses of property and livestock.

The PDMA said that relief activities had been launched in the areas. A PDMA official said the affected population was being shifted to safer places by rescue teams. He said deaths had occurred in Khuzdar, Lasbela, Qila Saifullah, Kohlu, and Chaman.

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A fresh spell of torrential rains has started once again, lashing Quetta, Lasbela, Khuzdar, Musakhel and Naseerabad. There are chances of more thunderstorms and hailstorms in the next 24 hours.

After the continuous downpour and hailstorms, the population in the province also faced flash floods, causing suspension of traffic on various roads.

Movement on the Quetta-Karachi highway was suspended after a bridge collapsed in Lasbela, causing inconvenience to commuters. A flash flood also suspended traffic between Harnai and Punjab, as the road linking Punjab with Harnai remained submerged in flood water.

Meanwhile, rain-wind thunderstorms are expected in the K-P, Islamabad, Punjab, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday. The Met Office predicted that isolated heavy falls/hailstorm is likely in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and northern Punjab.

However, dry weather is expected in other parts of the country. According to the Synoptic Situation, a westerly wave is affecting the upper and central parts of the country.