PESHAWAR, July 28 Heavy downpour on Wednesday disrupted routine life and power supply to most parts of the provincial capital, besides damaging properties of several people.

Power supply remained suspended in Gulbahar, Gulberg, Sethi Town, Rasheedabad, Atta Mohamad Garhi, Kohat Road, Hayatabad and Faqirabad for several hours.

When contacted, Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) spokesman Shaukat Afzal told Dawn that 60 feeders were affected during the rains, but 37 of them had resumed their function.

He said line staff was busy in the repair work, but they were facing difficulties due to incessant rains. He said at least three employees of the Pesco had also sustained injures while performing their duties. He assured the people that power supply would soon be restored.

Rainwater submerged the roads both in the city and cantonment areas brining the traffic to a standstill, mainly on the Shuba Bazaar, G.T. Road, Sher shah Suri Road and the University Road.

In many areas, roads were blocked due to falling of trees and choked sewerage lines. Long queues of vehicles were observed on both sided of the Sher Shah Suri Road, where a tree fell over a public transport mini-bus. However, the traffic police restored the traffic after sometime.

Shahi Bala, Mathra, Jamrud Road, Board Bazaar, Warsak Road were most hit-hard by the rains, where water entered residential localities forcing the residents to shift to safer places.

The rainwater also submerged houses and shops in low-lying areas of Shaikhabad, Gulbahar-I, II, Tauheedabad, Dalazak Road, Ganj, Kohati, and Charsadda Road. Owing to the inundated roads, movement of pedestrians as well as vehicles turned slow.

Sanitation staff of the Peshawar Cantonment Board, however, continued to drain out the water but situation in other parts of the city remained pathetic as there were no arrangements for cleaning the roads.

Rise in water level in Kabul River and its tributaries in Charssada and Peshawar had also submerged several areas.

A spokesman for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PMDA) claimed that an emergency cell was continuously monitoring the flood flow and providing information to the people regarding flood situation and relief activities made by the authority.

He further said Relief and Operation director was personally monitoring the flood situation across the province.

He said Nasir Bagh, Regi, Pir Bala, Shahi Bala up to Warsak Road and Budani Charsada Road areas of district Peshawar had been flooded by the rainwater. Army mobile and district field formation staff are busy in the evacuation and rescue of the affected persons from flood zone, he added. Keeping in view the previous year's damage, he said, the PDMA has released Rs1 million emergency funds for 10 districts of the province, besides giving relief items.

The PDMA also provided various food items to 1,000 families and 150 tents through Tank district coordination officer (DCO), he said, adding that these items had also been given to Lakki Marwat DCO.

Also, the Peshawar district administration has been provided sandbags to cope with any untoward incident, he said. Emergency cells have been established in all the DCO offices in the sensitive districts, besides main relief centre at the relief commissioner's office in Peshawar, he added.