MINGORA: Flood water entered houses and inundated roads in different areas of Swat, causing multiple issues to the local people.

The torrential rain started on Saturday afternoon caused flood followed by mud and debris flow, blocking roads in Amankot, Rahimabad, Qambar, Haji Baba, Gumbat Maira, Saidu Sharif, Faizabad and several other areas. The flood blocked all kinds of traffic.

“We did not break fast till late evening as the flood water entered our house and we were trying to remove our household items. The water not only damaged our valuable stuff, boxes and furniture but also damaged walls of our house,” said Gohar Shah, a resident of Sethi Mills Mohallah in Amankot.

The flood water entered all the houses in Miangano Cham, causing inconvenience to the people. “The flood water brought huge amount of debris and mud. We managed to clean our house till midnight,” said Irshad Ali, a resident of Miagano Cham.

Traffic remains blocked in various areas of the district

Walls of different houses were also destroyed by the flood that uprooted electricity poles. “The rain was coupled with heavy storm, which destroyed walls of different houses including a seminary. It also destroyed carpets and hundreds of religious books in the seminary,” said Akhtar Ali, a resident of Sadiqabad.

Due to the flooded roads many commuters could not reach home to break heir fast. “I was going home from my office but Haji Baba road was flooded and nobody could cross it. So I had to break my fast on the road in heavy rain,” said Lawngeen Khan, a resident of Barama area.

Huge pile of debris and mud flowed by torrential rain blocked Amankot and Rahimabad road to traffic. It also blocked the sewerage system in Amankot, Rahimabad, Faizabad, Haji Baba, Sadiqabad and other areas.

The torrential rain also damaged crops and orchards in the district, inflicting heavy losses on farmers.

The WSSC teams soon after the rainfall started removing debris and mud from the road. “Our teams and machinery reached the areas where the roads and streets were blocked and cleared all the roads. Still our teams are busy in removing debris from drains and sewerage lines,” said Mian Shahid Ali, an official of WSSC Swat.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2020