PESHAWAR – The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday declared emergency in the province due to torrential rains and floods, which have claimed over 204 lives in addition to 26 deaths in other parts of the country. The KP government has also released Rs 100 million to cope with the situation in the province.
More than 400,000 people have been stranded due to floods in various parts of the province and most of the people have resorted to take shelter on rooftops.
The torrential rains across the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caused more than 150 deaths and left a considerable number of people injured.
According to the metrological department, 274 millimetres rain was recorded in Peshawar, which broke the 34-year old record of torrential rains in the metropolitan city.
According to reports pouring into here, about 26 persons have been killed in the torrential rains and flash floods particularly in Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh.
The torrential rains flooded almost all the main bazaars, roads and residential areas of Peshawar. The floodwater entered residential areas of Nasirpur, Chugalpura, Budni, Qaziabad, Lakhar Kalay, Jugni, Takhtabad, Mithra, Patwar, Shahay, Mian Gujar, Larama, Shahi Bala and Choha Gojar and compelled the residents to leave their homes and save lives. So far 11 casualties have been reported in Peshawar district wherein seven people lost their lives in Qadirabad area due to caving in of roofs of the houses.
In district Nowshera Kalan, Azakhel, Khairabad and Pir Sabaq areas were inundated after the flood while people from Azakhel Refugee Camp rushed out of their localities to find safer places. The GT Road has been blocked for all kinds of traffic and so far 21 people are missing and four deaths have so far been confirmed in the district.
In district Charsadda, more than 100,000 people were reported to be stranded by floodwater and hundreds of houses, link roads and infrastructure was damaged amidst the torrential rains. Two rescue ships provided by Pak-Army proved insufficient to carry out the people of the area to safer places. DCO Charsadda Atta-ur-Rahman said that over hundred and thousands of people were rendered homeless.
In the districts of Swat and Shangla, the River Swat bulges out and swayed Bahrain, Madian, Matta, Kanju and Kabal areas. So far 41 persons have died in Kalam and 15 deaths were reported in Madian, besides damaging of a considerable number of houses, schools, dispensaries, mosques, shops and standing crops. Mingora Police Line was vacated, as water entered the city and damaged the bridge.
Communication through the Silk Route stopped as the bridge at Bisham-Shangla was damaged by gushing water and Gilgit-Baltistan was cut off from the rest of the country. A total of 110 people are missing in Swat and Shangla areas in various mishaps.
In district Upper Dir, 21 bridges, 13 schools and thousands of acre of cultivated land were flooded. 21 people so far have been reported to be dead in various mishaps. In Lower Dir eight people died while six bridges were damaged in the rains.
Three Chinese engineers along with Frontier Corps personnel went missing in Kohistan due to floodwaters. The 52 other Chinese engineers working on a hydroelectric project in the area were rescued.
In Kohat, so far 143 houses and several bridges have been reportedly damaged due to rains and floods. More than 40 houses were also damaged in Tehsil Bara of Khyber Agency. The road leading to Afghanistan has been closed at Jamrud due to floods.
In Dera Ismail Khan, the floodwater blocked the main Indus Highway for all kinds of traffic and cut off communication of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with other southern parts of the country. More than 72 people were reportedly missing in southern districts of the province including Karak, Bannu and Lakki Marwat.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference here at Officers Mess, Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar asked the people of the affected areas to shift to safer places without any further delay. He said that Provincial Government was trying to cope with the situation with the help of Pak Army.
He appealed to the Federal and other Provincial Governments of the country as well as to the organisations engaged in relief activities to help extend aid to calamity-hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that more than 400,000 people had been stranded in floodwaters across the province and taking them out with the help of helicopters was a difficult task due to uncongenial conditions.
Mian Iftikhar said that Chief Minister Hoti has issued funds for buying 50 boats on emergency basis and the Government was trying to buy the same from Karachi and fetch them to Peshawar through C-130 aeroplane.