PM deploys ministers to oversee K-P flood relief as toll hits 323

Devastating floods and heavy rains in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have left 323 people dead and 156 injured, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deployed federal ministers to supervise relief efforts in the flood-affected districts of the province, as the PDMA warned of more heavy rainfall between August 17 and 19.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), at least 323 people have died and 156 have been injured in rain-related incidents and flash floods across K-P.

The dead include 273 men, 29 women, and 21 children, while the injured comprise 123 men, 23 women, and 10 children. The PDMA said a total of 336 houses have been damaged so far, with 230 partially destroyed and 106 completely demolished.

Buner remains the worst-hit district, where 209 deaths have been reported. Other districts affected include Swat, Bajaur, Torghar, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram. The authority warned that more heavy rainfall is expected between August 17 and 19, while the current spell is likely to continue intermittently until August 21.

On the directives of the K-P chief minister, 89 trucks carrying relief goods have been dispatched to the affected districts. Items include tents, mattresses, bedding, kitchen sets, tarpaulins, mats, mosquito nets, generators and other daily-use essentials.

PDMA added that Rs800 million have been released to district administrations as relief funds, including Rs500 million specifically allocated to Buner. District authorities have been instructed to speed up relief activities and provide immediate assistance to the victims.

PDMA’s emergency operations centre is fully functional. Citizens have been advised to contact the free helpline 1700 for weather updates, information or to report emergencies, the spokesperson said.

PM orders dispatch of additional consignments of food, tents and medicines

On the other hand, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam, will oversee relief operations in Shangla and Buner, while the Power Division minister has been tasked with monitoring activities in Buner. Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yousaf will supervise operations in Mansehra, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Mubarak Zeb will coordinate relief in Bajaur.

Premier has also ordered the dispatch of additional consignments of food, tents and medicines to the worst-hit areas under the federal relief package. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is personally monitoring the relief operations of the National Disaster Management Authority in all flood-affected districts.

Officials said trucks carrying supplies are being handed over to district administrations for onward distribution. Shehbaz directed the chairman of NDMA to remain in constant contact with provincial disaster management authorities and Gilgit-Baltistan to ensure a coordinated response.

Provincial government will fully compensate flood losses: CM

Meanwhile, Chief Minister K-P Ali Amin Gandapur continued his visits to flood-affected districts, travelling to Swat after earlier stopping in Buner.

At a meeting held at the Malakand Division Commissioner’s office, Gandapur reviewed the flood situation, rescue operations and relief activities. Provincial cabinet members Arshad Ayub Khan, Fazal Hakim Khan, Dr Amjad Ali, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and other senior officials attended.

Officials briefed the chief minister that Mingora city in Swat had suffered the worst damage from recent floods. Rescue and relief operations were under way, while surveys of destroyed public infrastructure and private properties were ongoing.

Gandapur instructed officials to deploy additional machinery from other districts to speed up debris removal and ordered early completion of surveys to assess damages. He also directed immediate disbursement of compensation payments to affected families.

“The provincial government has released Rs3 billion for the Communication and Relief and Rehabilitation departments,” Gandapur said, adding that food, medicines and other essential items were being supplied to victims.

“The provincial government will fully compensate the losses suffered by people in the floods. In the past, promises made to victims were not fulfilled. Our government will prove that the commitments we make will be honoured,” he added.

Read: Rescuers race against time as K-P flood death toll tops 340

The chief minister said flood victims would not be left alone in their time of need. He announced a committee led by the deputy commissioner to demarcate the Swat River’s water channels in consultation with local representatives, using revenue records. The move, he said, aimed to prevent future human and material losses.

On the proposal to split Swat into two districts, Gandapur said local representatives should consult among themselves and present recommendations to the provincial government.

Relief efforts under way in flood-hit areas

Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, said on Sunday that efforts were under way to restore connectivity in flood-hit areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where roads and bridges have been badly damaged.

Speaking at a media briefing in Islamabad, he said, “As per the directives of the Prime Minister, a relief consignment will be immediately dispatched to all districts that have experienced significant loss of life and where people have been dislocated from their homes.”

The packages will include rations, medicines, and tents for the displaced. Malik said the seventh spell of monsoon rains, currently affecting various regions, is expected to continue until August 22. Another weather system will enter Pakistan on August 23 and last until the end of the month, with rains likely to persist into the first 10 days of September.

“Day-to-day communication infrastructure, roads, and bridges will be repaired on a priority basis once the monsoon is over,” he added.

Earlier, NDMA officials said the authority had developed a detailed contingency plan identifying high-risk areas. Northeastern parts of the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, central K-P, and southeastern districts such as Tharparkar, Sujawal, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Badin, are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall.

Officials warned that three major weather systems are converging over Pakistan, intensifying the ongoing monsoon activity. More than 300 people have already died due to flash floods and landslides in K-P.

The most vulnerable regions include northern Pakistan, northeastern Punjab, the Salt Range, southern Punjab, Malakand and Hazara divisions of K-P, and central Balochistan.

Army relief efforts underway

The Pakistan Army, acting on the special instructions of Field Marshal Asim Munir, is continuing large-scale rescue and relief operations in flood-affected districts of K-P.

Troops are distributing food rations in areas hit hardest by the flooding, including Buner, Shangla and Swat. Army helicopters have delivered flour, rice, lentils, milk powder, salt, tea leaves and cooking oil to Khawaza Banda, while rations were also distributed among displaced families in Mingora.

Military helicopters are evacuating injured people, women and children from remote areas to safer locations. Army doctors have set up field medical camps where free medicines are being provided to victims.

The army reaffirmed its commitment to “continue this public service mission until the complete rehabilitation of all flood victims is achieved.”

In parallel, work is under way on restoring the Jar Bridge, a key link between Dir and Bajaur that was washed away by floods. Troops from the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers are working around the clock to install a replacement structure.

Officials said the construction of the new bridge is expected to be completed in a few days, restoring connectivity between Bajaur and Dir.