PESHAWAR, March 26: The renewed spell of rain has caused 12 deaths and 32 injuries in districts Charsadda, Nowshera and Peshawar. UN Inter Agency Committee Coordinator Dr Quaid Saeed said this while talking to newsmen here on Saturday. After the initial spell of heavy rain and snowfall in the NWFP that started on January 21, there was a lull in the showers and things had started showing signs of improvement in the eight districts identified as severely hit and where most of the interventions had been made by the UN agencies, he said. The NWFP experienced another spell of heavy rain and scattered snowfall since March 18 which caused damages in plains and along the banks of rivers such as river Kabul and river Swat, he added. The most affected districts in the new spell are Charsadda, Nowshera and Peshawar, he said. Most villages are located along the banks of rivers and their overflowing wreaked havoc there, he added.
In the Charsadda district, Sardaryab, Tangi, Utmanzai, Bela Shabra, Sarasang, Zangali Korona and Hajizai areas are the worst affected whereas parts of Nahaqi, Daudzai Naguman, Kharaki, and Zangal Khel are among the worst hit in Peshawar.
Eight family members in Khalisa, Turangzai, Charsadda district suffered injuries due to roof collapse as thunderstorm struck the area.
In Nowshera, the calamity hit areas are Kheshgi, Amankot, Muhib Banda and Nowshera Kalan.
Charsadda remained the worst-stricken district followed by Nowshera and some parts of Peshawar, where hundreds of locals had migrated from riverside villages to safe places after gushing waters ruined their villages.
Some 16 villages on the bank of river Swat have witnessed heavy damages, he added.
Similarly, damages to crops have been reported by the district administration in Dera Ismail Khan. The Jandula and Makeen road in district Tank was blocked for all type of traffic.
On the other hand, road damages have been reported from hilly areas. Reports reaching from Shangla suggest that roads from Alpuri to Besham, Karora to Chakesar and Karora to Ajmir stood blocked due to landslides.
Two persons died and one person suffered injuries in the Lower Dir district due to collapse of a house.
The houses in the affected areas have either suffered partial damage or been demolished due to which thousands of people have been displaced. As a preventive measure, the nearby villages on the riverside had been vacated to avoid further devastation.
The government has launched relief operations in the affected districts and boats have been provided in many villages to rescue the stranded people. Some 170 tents have been provided for the displaced people.
