PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday said structures, including residential quarters, constructed along the banks of Budhni Nullah in Peshawar would be removed to avoid the threat of floods in future.

He also announced that the government would not compensate for damages the people, who had illegally built properties along the banks of rivers, streams and nullahs.

The chief minister made the announcement during a visit to Budhni Nullah, which was in high flood after torrential rains on Sunday.

The flooding of the nullah had inundated several residential colonies and submerged roads. Two boys and a girl were killed in rain-related incidents in Peshawar.

The officials concerned said water level in Budhni Nullah had gone down now and affected families had started returning to their homes. Around 80 families were evacuated from affected localities along the Nullah after surge in water level.

The chief minister told reporters after visiting the flood-hit localities that a plan had been prepared to remove encroachment from the banks of the nullah.

He said action would be taken against encroachers across the board. “The people, who encroached on the banks of nullah, were given notices on Monday but they did not vacate houses so the government will now take legal action,” he said.

Khattak said the district government would begin operation against encroachments in the city soon.

He said he had spent three days in Chitral district along with chief secretary, secretaries and other senior officers, and supervised relief activities in the calamity-hit areas.

The chief minister said relief items provided by the federal and provincial governments were being transported to the devastated areas in Chitral by helicopter.

He said representatives of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Rescue 1122 and district management along with senior officials of all departments were busy with relief activities in Chitral.

To a question regarding reconstruction phase in Chitral, Khattak said the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) had been tasked with reconstructing and rehabilitating the rain-affected structures and that funds had already been released for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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