PESHAWAR: Rising water level in Kabul River has set alarm bells ringing in areas along the riverbank as residents have started moving to safer places in Peshawar and Nowshera districts.

Also on Saturday, torrential rains and flash floods killed seven people and wounded several others in Nowshera, Peshawar and Kohat districts, and caused damage to infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of the tribal area.

Floods washed away infrastructure and forced hundreds of families to evacuate their houses in Kohat, Nowshera, Peshawar, Karak and Bajaur Agency. Officials said that rescue operation was in progress and stranded people were being evacuated.

PDMA says rising water level in rivers could trigger more floods

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a statement that water level was rising in different rivers and streams that could trigger floods in plains. Late reports suggested that teams of Rescue 1122 had started operation in Camp Korona, Nowshera district, to evacuate stranded people through boats to safer places.

Officials said that three persons, including a child, were killed in parts of Nowshera where 145 millimeters rain was recorded that triggered flash floods in streams and nullahs. Camp Korona, Pirpayee, Qasim Ali Baig, Pir Sabaq, Zara Mena and localities adjacent to Kabul River were the worst-hit areas where several houses were inundated.

Witnesses said that residents of Camp Korona had moved to the Peshawar-Islamabad section of motorway along with their cattle and belongings.

According to local people, the situation in Pir Sabaq was deteriorating due to surge in the Kabul River. Residents living near the river have started shifting their belongings to safer areas.

Residents of Mohib Banda in Nowshera said that people living near the riverbank have started evacuation as the water level in the river continues to rise. An official of Rescue 1122 said that divers and boats had been sent to the Camp Korona to evacuate stranded people.

Officials said that water level was increasing in Kabul River due to the heavy rainfall at Cherat in Nowshera. Floods in streams also destroyed crops.

Two children were killed and four members of a family injured when roof of a house fell in Garahi Rauf Khan in Kohat. Local people said that Sundas Bibi, 8, and Hussain Khan, 4, died on the spot. Their father Rizwan, mother Neelam and other children Mahnoor and Basit were taken to the divisional headquarters hospital.

The district administration declared emergency in the area and established a control room at the office of deputy commissioner. All the nullahs and the Kohat Toi were raging, inundating scores of shops and houses in the low-lying areas.

Flash floods also killed cattle in Hangu and in areas along Rawalpindi highway, police rescue centre said on Saturday. The communication system was cut off in threes villages from rest of the district. The most affected areas were Marai, Kachai, Mitha Khan, Darshakhel and Khadizai where water coming from the mountains of Orakzai Agency played havoc.

The floodwaters entered houses in Kohat city, Rawalpindi road, Baqizai, Tappi, Shaheedon Banda, Khwasi Banda, Ghurzai, Talkan, Garhi Rauf Khan, Mohammadzai, Naway Kalay, Mian Garhi, Khara Barhi, Garhi Risaldar, Gumbat and Togh Bala area.

A two-year-old boy, identified as Ayan Ali, drowned in a drain in Gul Bahar locality of Peshawar. Mursaleen, 14, a resident of Sorezai, electrocuted when he touched an electric pole, police said.

Met office said that Peshawar received over 28mm rain which inundated houses in different localities. Rescue 1122 said that rainwater entered into several houses in Achini Payan, Nasir Bagh, Gul Bahar and Palosi localities which caused partial damages to infrastructure.

Mansehra and its adjoining areas on Saturday received heavy downpour which inundated streets and roads in the city and adjoining localities. The rain started at about 2:00pm and continued intermittently for many hours, inundating Karakoram Highway, Abbottabad road and link roads. Traffic was suspended for half an hour at KKH causing inconvenience to the pedestrian and motorists. Owing to Raging Kabul River forces many in Nowshera to move to safer places the heavy monsoon rain the water also entered into shops and houses in Dub and Channia areas.

Flash floods caused by torrential rains also destroyed crops and damaged several roads in Bajaur Agency’s far-flung Barang area. People said that heavy rain began early in morning and continued till evening, affecting a number of roads and other infrastructure in various areas of Barang tehsil.

They said that the rains and floods had damaged several link roads, including the main Kamal Dara-Daragi road, that link the region with Malakand Agency.

Situation in Karak district was also critical where several women and children sustained injuries in roof collapse incidents triggered by heavy rains. Officials said that rooms and boundary walls of houses collapsed in Mithakhel.

In Chitral, flash floods devastated seven villages across the district, including Kalash valley of Bumburate, on Saturday after the thunderstorm and torrential rains continued for several hours.

Zakuta Kalash from Bamburate valley told Dawn on phone on Saturday evening that he had not seen flood like the recent one in his life which swept away 24 houses, scores of hotels and shops, a government high school, three mosques, a Kalash jastakhan (dancing place) and two micro hydropower stations.

He said that the suspension bridge of Dubazh at the entrance of the valley and the road leading to valley from Ayun village has been washed away leaving no track even for pedestrians.

The hotels destroyed by the flood also included the PTDC hotel in Kalash valley. The adjoining Kalash valley of Rumbur also saw devastation by flood which swept away over 10 houses, he said. The floodwater from the two Kalash valleys wreaked havoc in Ayun village washing away 25 houses, four shops, two mosques and the standing crops of rice and maize over a vast area.

The residents migrated to the nearby Barawosht village located at higher altitude while the waves of floodwater intercepted the Chitral River due to which the accumulated pool of water inundated over half of the village for over six hours.

The flood also destroyed wheat crop in villages of Khot, Shagrama, Ujnu and Muzhgol in upper Chitral.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2015

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