The Bahrain-Kalam Road being cleared after it was hit by an avalanche in Swat on Tuesday. — Dawn
The Bahrain-Kalam Road being cleared after it was hit by an avalanche in Swat on Tuesday. — Dawn

PESHAWAR: With torrential rains battering parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the second day on Tuesday, a woman lost life and two people, including a child, suffered injuries in calamity-related incidents.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said a woman was killed after a roof collapsed in Lower Dir district, while a woman and a child were injured in Khyber and Bajaur districts, respectively.

The rain-related incidents also led to the destruction of nine houses and partial damage of 14 in different parts of the province.

The widespread rains and isolated snowfall damaged houses and caused flooding and extensive power outages throughout the province.

Snow avalanches block Swat roads; Met Office forecasts more downpour until Wednesday

The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) said the rains affected around 290 power feeders all over the province.

A spokesman for the company said electricity on around 70 per cent of those feeders had been restored until Tuesday evening, while teams were working on the rest.

In Swat, around 300 houses in Aryanai village and adjacent hamlets were cut off from other parts after the flash floods washed away part of the only bridge connecting the area with the rest of Bahrain valley.

According to the residents, the bridge was washed away on the third day of the current spell of rain in the area.

“The bridge connecting Burrai Kama village on the main Bahrain-Kalam Road with Aryanai village across the Swat River was washed away early morning. After the incident, the people living in Aryanai village and adjacent hamlets, including Shenail, Birlaam and Kas Aryanai, were cut off from the rest of the country,” said social activist Mujahid Torwali.

Meanwhile, the main Bahrain-Kalam Road and Kalam-Matiltan Road were blocked after being hit by snow avalanches.

A house damaged by heavy rain in Bajaur. — Dawn
A house damaged by heavy rain in Bajaur. — Dawn

A snow avalanche hit Asriat area early morning, while another was reported in Kalam and Matiltan area due to the continuous rain and snowfall.

Resident Bilal Ahmad said a huge heap of snow, locally called Jakhhimal, covered a vast stretch of Bahrain-Kalam Road.

He said the road blockade caused a large number of tourists to strand in Kalam area. However, no damage to public life and property was reported.

When contacted, deputy commissioner of Swat Junaid Khan said teams and machinery were sent to the area immediately after the incident to clear the road for vehicles.

He said the Bahrain-Kalam Road had been cleared to traffic, while work was in full swing to clear the Kalam-Matiltan Road.

The deputy commissioner said another team of the C&W department was sent to make the bridge operational and reconnect the Aryanai village with the main road.

In Bajaur tribal district, heavy rains triggered flash floods in several areas, mainly in hilly areas, closing link roads for several hours to the inconvenience of transporters and commuters.

The residents said some vehicles got stuck in floodwater for hours in various upper parts of the district.

According to Rescue 1122, two vehicles skidded off the roads in Khar and Nawagai tehsil due to rains causing minor injuries to two people.

In Shangla area, a room of the Government High Secondary School, Kotkay, Alpuri tehsil, collapsed due to the heavy rain.

However, no damage to public life was reported. Parts of Shangla also received heavy snowfall.

According to the education department, a room of the government higher secondary school was damaged. The school was closed due to the Pakistan Day holiday.

The Alpuri-Puran Road, Bisham-Swat Road and other link roads were also closed due to landslides and snowfall suspending traffic to the misery of commuters.

The electric supply to Bisham, Alpuri, Puran and Chakesar areas also disrupted and suspended until late hours. The flow of water also increased in the Indus and Khan Khwar rivers after heavy rain and streams.

Meanwhile, the continuous downpour caused a crater in the embankment of Tanda Dam near Shahpur village in Kohat area late on Monday.

The incident caused fear among residents of the nearby villages.

The villagers tried in vain to fill the crater by stones and called Rescue 1122 for help. However, no help came until Tuesday morning.

XEN Abdul Sattar and SDOs Sultan Mehmood and Daud Khan later showed up and supervised the dumping of stone bags and gravel at the site.

The Met Office forecast more rains, thunderstorm and snowfall on high mountains in different parts of the province for Tuesday night and Wednesday.

It recorded widespread rains and thunderstorm on Tuesday and said Dir reported 55mm of rain, Timergara 53, Cherat 49, Saidu Sharif 48, Drosh 46, Pattan 34, Chitral 33, Peshawar 32, Bannu 20, Balakot 19, Kalam 13, Kakul 10 and Parachinar five, while Malam Jabba received one inch of snow.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2021

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