MANSEHRA: The roads and water schemes washed away in the recent flash floods here have yet to be rehabilitated to the misery of residents.

The people insist that road blockades had caused a shortage of essential commodities in mountainous areas.

“Over a week has passed since landslides blocked dozens of roads here but the communication and works department has yet to rehabilitate them,” Riaz Gujjar told reporters in the Chaterplan area here on Monday.

Accompanied by a group of locals from different village and neighbourhood councils, Mr Gujjar said the roads were blocked in Chaterplan, Battal, Ail, Hilkot and adjoining village councils during the monsoon rains but the communication and words department had yet to repair or reconstruct them despite getting funds.

He said the closure of roads had blocked the transportation of essential items to hilly parts of the district and thus, causing a shortage of food and other necessities.

Residents say road blockades causing shortage of essentials

The resident also complained that the flash floods destroyed several water schemes installed on rivers and streams, but the public health department had yet to initiate rehabilitate them.

“We approached village and neighbourhood council chairmen, too, to get the work on roads and water schemes started, but to no avail as the local bodies don’t have funds,” he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Safada village council Basharat Ali Swati decried the apathy of the government to people’s misery and complained that the water schemes and power poles damaged by the recent rains awaited repair and reconstruction.

Mr Swati told reporters that water supply to Safada and adjoining areas was suspended last week after a power pylon was uprooted by the flash flooding but neither the Peshawar Electric Supply Company nor the public health department rehabilitated it as yet.

INJURED: A man and his wife suffered critical injuries when the room they slept in was hit by a landslide in Guli Bagh area of Kolai-Palas district early on Monday.

Family members along neighbours pulled the injured out of the rubble and took them to a nearby health centre, whose doctors referred them to the Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad due to serious condition.

Family head Sher Afzal said the landslide hit the room when his son and his wife were asleep there.

He said some goats kept in a pen next to the room were also killed in the incident.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2023