Aftermath: Five days on, parts of the city still four feet under

Residents claim municipal authorities yet to clear roads, officials say they are doing their best.

PESHAWAR: Although the Peshawar Municipal Corporation (PMC) started emergency clean-up services right after the rains, many areas are still stuck with clogged sewage lines and standing water.

Days of heavy rainfall coupled with floodwater entering from Bara, Khyber Agency damaged hundreds of residential and commercial buildings, forcing residents to move to dryer areas.



Residents say the floodwater in some residential areas is nearly four feet deep, blocking sewerage lines and cutting on basic necessities, including non-availability of clean drinking water. Even though more than 300 PMC sanitation staffers were deployed to clean the roads and fumigate to avoid malaria, many places have still not been reached.

Nishat Mill, Sardar Ahmad Jan Colony, Hashtnagar Colony, Qamar Kaly, Landy Sarak, Alif Khan Kaly and adjacent areas of Warsak Road, Pir Bala, Darmangi, Janda Kaly, Terai Bala, Terai Payan and Khwaja town near Bacha Khan Markaz were some of the worst affected where floodwater compelled locals to evacuate.

In Hashtnagar Colony alone, water entered more than 200 houses, but the civic administration is yet to visit the area. “They came here only once to fumigate for malaria and we have not seen them since,” said Murtaza Khan, adding the municipal officials have cleared water from adjacent areas but not theirs’ despite several complaints.

Municipal Administrator Rasheed Khan, however, said they were doing the best they could from the limited resources at their disposal. “From the past five days, we have been working day and night to supply freshwater tankers to residential areas and villages where lines have been badly damaged after the rains,” Khan said, adding most of the low-lying areas have been cleared out. Some areas are still difficult to access, he added.

Before Ramazan ends, we will complete the cleanliness drive in affected areas,
Khan said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2013.