Kohat house flooding claims 11 lives
Heavy to moderate rain pummelled up and down the country on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and another six, including a child, in Punjab over the past 24 hours, rescuers said.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that rain, windstorm, and thundershower with isolated heavy fall occurred in upper K-P, Punjab, Islamabad, Sindh, north and south-eastern Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during the last 24 hours.
The highest rainfall was recorded in K-P's Cherat, with 110 millimetres, followed by 103mm in Balakot. Muzaffarabad, AJK, received 94mm rain. Most of Punjab received rainfall between 10 to 38mm. Upper Sindh's Jacobabad and Larkana received 15mm each, while Sibbi in Balochistan received 31mm.
In Karachi the rain gauge varied. The PMD recorded 42mm in Gadap, 29mm in Orangi Town, 19mm in Surjani Town, 21mm in North Karachi, 10mm in Nazimabad, 9mm in Masroor Base, 8mm in Gulshan-e-Maymar, 3mm in Keamari, 2mm at Faisal Base and University Road, and 1mm at the Jinnah Terminal.
As the monsoon rains unleashed havoc across K-P, overflowing rivers and flash floods, coupled with fierce winds and heavy rainfall, resulted in the death of 13 people. Six others sustained injuries in various rain-related incident while 16 homes were wholly or partially damaged.
According to the K-P Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report, the downpour in Peshawar continued from 1:15 am to 9 am. Low-lying areas in Peshawar were submerged, causing water to enter homes through drains.
The worst rain-related tragedy occurred in Dara Adamkhel, where 11 people died after rainwater entered the basement of a house on Tuesday night. Police and Rescue 1122 said that the deceased included three women and six children.
Severe rainfall and flash floods caused various accidents across the districts of Kohat, Bajaur, Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Swat, and Swabi. In Lower Chitral, roads from Boni to Garam Chashma were blocked, while in Swat, the roads from Kalam to Bahrain and Naran to Balakot were closed to traffic.
Overall in the province, the PDMA stated, the storm and ensuing floods claimed 13 lives, including two men, four women, and seven children in the last 24 hours. The injured were one man, two women, and three children. The extreme weather destroyed one house and resulted in partially damaged 15 others.
In the Kaghan Valley, the Mahandri Bridge was washed away, severing a crucial transportation link. The Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) said that the bridge's collapse left approximately 10,000 to 15,000 tourists stranded.
In the Lower Dir district, heavy rainfall led to flooding in the Maidan River at Balambat in Timergara. Swabi has experienced intermittent rains, with water entering houses in Sharifabad, and rescue teams working to extract it.
In Kotha, a house roof collapsed, burying two heads of cattle, with rescue operations in progress. Chitral and Lower Dir have faced severe flooding in several areas, causing extensive damage to residential houses, gardens, and agricultural lands, and disrupting vehicular traffic.
There are reports of flooding of temporary road passages in other parts of the K-P, including the upper Kalam region. In Balochistan's Harnai region, heavy rains caused floods in rivers and canals, suspending traffic on the Harnai-Quetta highway.
Persistent rains in Muzaffarabad, Neelum, and Jhelum valleys of the AJK caused road closures, particularly on the highway connecting Muzaffarabad to Rawalpindi at Kohala. However, the weather had turned pleasant in these areas.
Another six people died and as many injured in rain-related incidents in Punjab during the last 24 hours, raising the death toll in the month of July to 39, according to a report issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The deceased included a boy who drowned in a rainwater pond, while three others were rescued in the Millat Town of Faisalabad. Officials said that heavy to moderate rain disrupted daily life in several parts of the province.
The PMD indicated chances of rain, windstorm and thundershowers in Kashmir, upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, upper K-P, Gilgit-Baltistan, southeast Sindh and south Balochistan during the next 24 hours. Urban flooding might also occur in northeast Punjab, Karachi and lower Sindh, it added.
The Punjab PDMA said that the current spell of monsoon rains was likely to continue till August 4. A spokesperson stated that the water flow in the rivers Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Jhelum, and Sutlej was at the normal levels, the K-P PDMA said the water level in Mangla Dam was at 58% and in Tarbela Dam at 70%.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik to take all necessary measures to protect lives and properties in view of the monsoon rains.
He instructed the NDMA chairman to improve coordination with all the PDMAs, and expedite measures for the restoration of highways and roads affected by rains and landslides. He also called for providing all possible health facilities to the people of affected areas.
Meanwhile, K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic deaths of 11 persons in a house in Darra Adam Khel. The governor emphasised that proactive and effective safety measures could help mitigate potential losses caused by the monsoon rains.
(WITH INPUT FROM APP)