Villagers watch the remains of houses that were hit by flash flood in Torkhow valley, Upper Chitral. — Dawn
Villagers watch the remains of houses that were hit by flash flood in Torkhow valley, Upper Chitral. — Dawn

CHITRAL: Various villages in Upper Chitral, including Werkup, Parkusap, Ghoru, Terich and Rech, have been hit by flash floods caused by the cloud burst during the last two days, damaging dozens of houses, standing wheat crop, fruit orchards, roads and suspension bridges over streams and rivers.

In Werkup and Rech villages of Torkhow valley, the floods rendered dozens of families homeless while wheat crop and fruit orchards over hundreds of acres of land were inundated by the flood water.

The Parkusap village in Mastuj was disconnected from rest of the district as the suspension bridge over the river was washed away by floods.

Murad Jan, a resident of the area, told Dawn by telephone that the commodities of daily use were running out leading to food shortages in the area, while children were unable to attend schools situated on the other side of the river.

Similar situation has been reported from Nishko village of Terich union council where children from more than 300 households could not go to schools in Werkup as the jeep-able bridge at Nishko was partially damaged due to high floods in the river leading to its closure for pedestrians as well as vehicles.

The flash flood also damaged water supply schemes in all the affected villages, forcing the villagers to consume contaminated water.

Upper Chitral additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Irfanuddin told Dawn that the district administration had been put on high alert keeping in view the impending danger of flash floods in more villages. He said relief operation was in progress in the affected villages.

He said efforts would be made to rehabilitate the suspension bridges and roads in the shortest possible time.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

United stance
Updated 13 Nov, 2024

United stance

It would've been better if the OIC-Arab League summit had announced practical measures to punish Israel.
Unscheduled visit
13 Nov, 2024

Unscheduled visit

Unusual IMF visit shows the lender will closely watch implementation of programme goals to prevent it from derailing.
Bara’s businesswomen
13 Nov, 2024

Bara’s businesswomen

Bara’s brave women have proven that with the right support, societal barriers can be overcome.
System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....