Severe storm ravages Lower Dir district

Woman killed, trees uprooted; houses suffer damage in Chitral flash floods

DIR LOWER:

A severe storm struck the Lower Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Wednesday, leading to the tragic death of a woman and causing injuries to another individual. The powerful storm uprooted trees and caused a disruption in the power supply, lasting for over 10 hours.

During the storm, a woman named Sultan Jana lost her life, while Zehra Bibi sustained serious injuries after being struck by lightning in the Samar Bagh area.

The district witnessed heavy rainfall and hailstorms, resulting in the destruction of crops, fruit trees, and infrastructure in various areas, including Timargara, Balambat, Manogay, Shahzadi, Hajiabad, and Malakand Darra.

Farmers faced significant losses, with fruits and vegetables worth millions of rupees destroyed.

Local residents have called for declaring Dir a calamity-hit area in light of the severe damage caused.

Moreover, Chitral district also experienced a similar hailstorm and downpour, which led to partial destruction of 24 houses.

Flash floods in Chitral city damaged houses, disrupted the irrigation system, and affected road traffic in Balach area, necessitating alternative routes.

The extreme weather events in various districts, including Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, and Chitral, have resulted in multiple casualties and injuries. In response, emergency measures were implemented, with medical personnel called upon to attend to the influx of injured individuals. Power outages persisted for extended periods, and it took time for the power supply to be fully restored.

These incidents highlight the impact of climate change in the region.

The region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has experienced an increase in extreme weather conditions due to climate change. These events have resulted in devastating floods, abnormally high levels of rainfall, and heavy snowfall. The impact on the affected areas has been severe, with loss of life, injuries, and extensive damage to infrastructure and agricultural resources.

A day ago heavy downpour was recorded in Lakki Marwat district in which a roof collapsed inside the Assistant Commissioner Office, leaving four people injured.

Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Karak are among the worst hit district when on Saturday a powerful storm inflicted widespread damage on the three districts, killing 27 people and injuring another 156.

Emergency was declared in the division after the natural calamity and all the doctors and staffers were called to the hospital to cope with the large influx of dead and injured.

Later the critically injured were referred to Peshawar for treatment.

In all the cases in Bannu Division, Dir Lower and Chitral, power supply remained suspended for hours and it took PESCO days to fully restore it.

In Karak, lightning killed four people. District administration said that most of the deaths occurred due to wall or roof collapse incidents, followed by lightning.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2023.