PESHAWAR/NOWSHERA/SWABI: A girl was killed and several suffered injuries on Monday as rain lashed parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and caused flash floods in Peshawar and Nowshera districts.

The downpour also damaged five houses.

A girl was killed and her two brothers got injuries when their house in Muftiabad area of Charsadda district collapsed due to heavy downpour.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said in a report that the rains coupled with thunderstorms and gusty winds were reported at scattered places across the province.

In Peshawar, Budhni nullah burst banks due to heavy rain inundating several houses.

Emergency declared as several Nowshera villages flooded

However, no damage to public life and property was reported.

The PDMA said flash floods in Chimkar nullah of Nowshera district inundated houses in Kandi Tazadin and Pabbi areas.

A Rescue 1122 statement issued here said the flash floods had affected Garhi Qasim, Ali Baig, Wazir Kally and Zara Maina villages.

According to the Met Office, 56mm rain was recorded in Peshawar and Nowshera.

The rainfall began at midnight and continued until morning.

The administration declared emergency in Nowshera district, while the Rescue 1122 teams were called from Peshawar, Nowshera and Mardan to carry out rescue work.

Rescue 1122 emergency head Dr Mir Alam Khan said the organisation had set up an emergency camp in Kandi Tazadin area for rescue operation.

He said boats, D-watering pumps, rescue vans, ambulances, and latest machines had been shifted to the area.

“Sixty rescue workers are taking part in the search and rescue operation in the rain-affected villages,” he said.

The reports claimed that around 100 people, including women and children, were rescued from inundated villages of Pabbi.

They said rescue work was under way with the stranded people being shifted to safer places in boats.

The DC office said the Government Degree College Pabbi building, assistant commissioner’s offices, and Chowki Mamraiz were submerged after the entry of five-six feet rainwater.

It added that the DC and ADC rushed to the affected areas and distributed food items among the people.

In Charsadda, the rainwater entered houses in Nissata, Nasratzai, Muftiabad and Khawray areas.

The rescuers shifted people 140-house low-lying Lundai village to safer places in Nissata union council. Eight houses in Nasratzai area collapsed due to heavy rains.

In Shangla, motorists and commuters suffered a lot due to the closure of the Karakoram Highway after heavy downpour.

The rain began on Sunday evening and continued until Monday.

The closure of KKH and link roads at various points troubled local residents.

High water levels were also reported in streams and rivers. The rainwater also flowed on the KKH.

The highway remained blocked for more than four hours due to rainwater and landslide in Shang and Bisham areas. However, the Frontier Works Organisation cleared it to traffic.

The people of remote Shangla areas said the floods swept away dozens of mini-power stations plunging the region into darkness.

In Swabi, the heavy downpour led to the closure of busy Swabi-Jahangira Road to traffic for more than five hours.

The low-lying areas were inundated by rainwater, while the link roads and streets also went under water inconveniencing people.

The rain began at around 2:30am and continued uninterrupted until 6:30am.

Flooded streets were reported in Topi city, Kunda, Sheikh Dheri, Anbar, Beka, Nabi, Thano, Maneri, Charbagh, Parmuli, Karnal Sher Kili, Tarakai, Kalu Khan and Tordher areas.

The rainwater flooded the Swabi-Jehangira Road from Kunda Mor area to Anbar area, while the traffic on the main highway was also suspended due to heavy rain.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018