SHANGLA/MARDAN: The relief and rehabilitation activities commenced in Shangla on Saturday after heavy rains and massive floods destroyed roads, houses, water mills and mini power stations in various parts of the district on Friday.

Deputy commissioner Ziaur Rehman told reporters on Saturday that a long stretch of Kana road had been washed away by floods and blocked at several points by landslides. He added debris-clearance operation had been launched on major roads.

Mr Rehman said he had directed all the relevant authorities, tehsil municipal administrations, assistant commissioners and revenue staff to ensure speedy provision of relief to the flood-hit people and their rehabilitation.

District disaster management officer, Shangla, Muneeba Fatima told Dawn that non-food items, including tents, blankets, mattresses and kitchen sets had been dispatched to all the tehsil offices to be distributed among the flood-hit people.

She said damage to around 15 houses had been reported till Saturday, and that the teams were in the field for carrying out damage assessment. She said water mills, water supply schemes, irrigation channels and mini hydel power stations had been washed away by unprecedented floods in Kana, Khan Khwar and other rivers.

The Peshawar Electric Supply Company has also started rehabilitation work on the damaged electricity poles in several areas of the district.

Bisham-Swat, Karora-Ajmeer, Karora-Chakesar, Alpuri-Puran and other major and link roads remained blocked for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Separately, heads of representatives of trade organisations, private schools and hospitals, mega malls and social circles have pledged every support for the flood-hit people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces.

They expressed their determination during a meeting held at the office of the Mardan city mayor Himayatullah Mayar Advocate on Saturday.

Keeping in view the flood disaster in Swat, Kalam, Dir, Kohistan, Charsadda, Nowshera and other parts of the province, the city mayor had called the meeting with appeal to traders, heads and representatives of private bodies to devise a line of action to help the victims.

Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Mr Mayar said the participants pledged assistance to the calamity-hit people. He said a committee had been constituted to launch relief and rehabilitation activities in the flood-hit areas.

“We have also decided to set up camps at key places of the district to collect donations for the devastated people,” he said, adding the city government had announced to close the government schools and colleges to provide shelter to affected people. He said medical camps would be set up at different places for the affected people.

He appealed to the traders to avoid price hike, especially of food items, to facilitate the flood-hit people coming to Mardan from other districts.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022