SWAT: A massive avalanche destroyed and buried more than 10 houses in Serai village in Mankyal valley of tehsil Bahrain.

According to the residents of Mankyal, no human loss occurred as the village was already vacated by locals because they were migrated to warm areas.

The avalanche was triggered by heavy snowfall on December 14.

“About 23 people were killed and many others were injured in a massive avalanche in 1993 in the same area while six people were killed in 2005 by another avalanche in the same village,” said Zubair Torwali, a local activist of the area.

Serai and Baddai valleys are the scenic tourist resorts located at a distance of some 30 kilometres from Bahrain. However, 90 per cent of the residents migrate to warm areas during the winter season.

MEETING: The chairman of District Advisory Committee (DDAC), Fazal Hakeem Khan Yousafzai, has said that the under-construction Rs14billion Mingora Gravity Water Supply Scheme will provide 30 million gallons of clean water to almost 8.5 million people daily.

He was chairing a meeting here on Thursday regarding the progress made on the scheme.

He directed the district administration and Water and Sanitation Service Company (WSSC) Swat to expedite work on the project.

The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Hamid Ali Khan, SDO Saleem Khan, Senior Engineer Shamshir Ali, SDO Mohammad Ali, Additional Assistant Commissioner Khwazakhela Naimatullah and CEO WSSC Swat Shaid Mohammad Khan.

Mr Yousafzai said that the residents of Mingora and its suburbs faced severe water shortage but the issue would be resolved soon.

He directed the WSSC to ensure quality and meet timeframe of the project.

“The progress must be coordinated with the district administration on a daily basis and the committee should be kept informed.

“It is an important project and progress on it must be reviewed on a daily basis,” he said.

The DDAC chairman said that the project would resolve the issue of water shortage not only in Mingora but also in the surrounding areas.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2020