Weather reigns: Monsoon rains, floods damage homes, crops

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

As monsoons creep across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, southern parts of the province and the tribal belt are beginning to feel the force of the season unfurl. Heavy rains and floods have damaged infrastructure and standing crops across Tank, DI Khan and South Waziristan.

Tank, South Waziristan

South Waziristan saw a deluge of rain on Tuesday which caused flooding in Tank district. Gul Imam Brigde, which links Tank with Bannu was closed till the weather took an upturn – it was later open for traffic.

The rain and ensuing storm damaged more than a dozen houses in Gara Metto, Gara Baloch and Yaqoob Colony. The Pakistan Army has set up a complaint cell in Tank district ahead of the expected flooding to be caused by the monsoons.

Wana – especially the western mountains of South Waziristan – received enough rain to cause Dana Al-Qad, the main stream passing through Wana Plain, to overflow. The flood water washed away standing crops, especially tomatoes, while embankments were also damaged in some areas.

No human casualties were reported till the filing of this report.

DI Khan

Late Monday night, heavy downpours and a storm made life difficult for residents of the city and the outskirts. Electricity remained suspended for several hours in the city, DI Khan Cantt, and Dayal Road, Saddar.

Water collecting in the streets in different parts of the city caused problems for pedestrians, school children and people attempting to reach work on time.

Abdur Rashid, a general store owner in Chutta Bazaar, had to leave his motorcycle at home which is at a significant distance from his shop. He said he had to journey on foot to his store and blamed the local district government.

The provincial government should conduct an inquiry to find out why each rainfall leads to stagnant water in the streets, said Rashid, adding the condition of the drainage system also needs to be looked into.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2013.