Relief work persists: Rain death toll climbs to 47

Two more weather systems likely to hit K-P in 10 days

PESHAWAR: Relief efforts and rehabilitation work continued in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera on Tuesday as the death toll in rain-related incidents rose to 47.

According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Spokesperson Latifur Rehman, 880 tents and 100 blankets have been given to the Peshawar DC along with food supplies which have been distributed among the affected population.

“PDMA officials, along with district administrations, have been making coordinated efforts to conduct relief activities on an emergency basis,” Rehman said.

The district administration of Peshawar has distributed tents, blankets and drinking water among 1,250 families in the city so far.

“We are arranging cooked food for the victims’ families on Wednesday (today),” said district administration’s PRO Feroz Shah. He added a majority of the relief goods were distributed on Monday while the rest were distributed on Tuesday. According to Shah, the municipal corporation staff is also repairing sanitation systems in various parts of the city which were damaged.

Damage control

PDMA Director General Amer Afaq visited areas affected by the rainstorm in Nowshera. He urged a team of PDMA officials tasked with assessing the damage caused by the ‘mini-cyclone’ in Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera to provide a detailed report through which the affected population will be compensated.

Raindrops keep falling

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has informed PDMA about the likelihood of more rain and a dust storm in the province.

According to the PMD, two more weather systems are likely to hit the upper parts of K-P over the next 10 days. Heavy rain and dust storms are expected in Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand and Hazara divisions.

Lights out: PESCO officials to restore power supply

Peshawar Electric Supply Company has said it experienced delays in restoring power supply due to disruptions caused to its distribution system by the rainstorm, stated a press release issued on Tuesday.

“We regret delays in restoring electricity,” read the statement. “Rehabilitation work is in progress in those areas where power supply has not been restored.”

According to the press release, Pesco officials are working on an urgent basis to restore power to these areas as soon as possible.

“So far, electricity to 97% urban and 85% rural feeders has been restored,” it added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2015.