Deadly weather: Devastating rains cause fatalities across K-P

Residents of Shangla deprived of electricity for more than 40 days.

SWAT/ PESHAWAR:

At least 10 lives were lost across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) as heavy rains continued in the province resulted in several accidents on Thursday.

In Barikot, a teenager identified as Muhammad Hussain was killed when a landslide hit his house around midnight. Hussain’s body was recovered after two hours of rescue work.

A father and his two children were killed in a landslide in Manshera. The man along with his son and daughter were on their way home after collecting firewood when they were hit by a heavy landslide. Villagers launched a rescue operation, but could not recover the bodies for three hours. Those killed were identified as Izat Khan, his daughter Nasrina Bibi, and son Atiqur Rehman.

In Malakand, a levy official identified as Razak Khan was killed when his motorcycle skidded due to the heavy downpour. Khan fell into a stream and drowned, said another levy official. He was rushed to district headquarters hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

An eight-year-old boy was severely injured when the roof of his house collapsed in Risalpur area of Nowshera district. Ibrar Khan and his mother were buried under the debris and recovered by residents who dug them out. “Miraculously, the woman was safe while the boy was injured,” said Muhammad Ishaq, an official of Risalpur police station.



In Peshawar, a five-year-old girl was killed when the roof of a room caved in. Kanwal was seriously injured when the heavy downpour caused a roof collapse in her house at around 11am. She was rescued by neighbours and shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where she succumbed to her injuries. Three more people, including two minors, were killed in separate incidents when the roof of their house collapsed.

In DI Khan, two nomadic girls were electrocuted by a fallen live wire. Gul Dastha and Shireen Bibi were collecting wood in the morning when the incident occurred. Dastha died on the spot, while Shireen Bibi was seriously injured. According to a police official, the wire fell due to strong winds in the area.

Electricity in Shangla yet to be restored

After more than 40 days, disrupted power lines are yet to be restored in parts of Shangla district.

The district administration has failed to restore electricity, sparking a wave of criticism from locals. “We staged several protests against the laxity of the government. The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has neither staff nor equipment, so we have been working on systems ourselves to restore the lines as we are facing multiple problems,” Zahoor Khan, a resident of Martung, told The Express Tribune.

“Only the Alpuri feeder was restored two days ago and the Puran feeder is yet to be repaired,” said Khalid Khan, a local journalist. Lack of electricity has halted social and financial life in the district, he added.

“We take our cell phones to mobile phone shops where they are charged with the help of generators. Rs40 to 50 are charged for the service,” said Ghulam Sawar, a resident of Puran.

Sawar said locals had been working day and night to restore power lines by attaching the poles with self-help systems. “The locals are working to restore the lines, but they don’t have the correct equipment, and Pesco is not providing them with the necessary tools either,” he added.

According to a Pesco department official, there are only 25 employees working in the entire district, while more than 80 are required to cater to the needs of the area.  “A total of 1,600 poles were uprooted with more than 23 transformers damaged. 800 poles have been restored by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) with help from residents,” said Fahim, a WAPDA official in Shangla.

He said the district needs 210 high-transmission poles and 168 low-transmission poles, but only 40 high transmission poles have been given by the headquarters. “Even though restoration is the construction department’s job, our operational staff is also working on the lines.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2013.