SAWBI: A local government representative was swept away by strong currents in a Swabi nullah, and a minor boy was killed in a Bannu wall collapse as heavy rains triggered flash floods in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sweeping away houses and shops and blocking roads on Saturday.

In Swabi, chairman of Maneri Bala village council Fayyaz Khan was swept away by swollen water along with his motorcycle when he tried to cross the flooded Badrinullah stream.

His family said Fayyaz was going to the city on his motorcycle when he was swept away by floodwaters.

Witnesses said that when Fayyaz reached the middle of Maneri Bala Bridge a strong wave of floodwaters swept him away along with his bike.

Shops, houses swept away by flash floods in Waziristan

After a few hours, the Rescue 1122 personnel fished out the body and handed it over to the family.

Meanwhile, floodwaters also inundated houses in low-lying areas.

In Bannu, a boy, Taswar Khan, 7, died and another, Okash, 6, was injured when the wall of a house collapsed in Sokari Hasankhel area.

The boundary wall collapse incidents were also reported from other parts of the district.

Rainwater also inundated shops and houses in the urban locality, troubling local residents. It brought the filth of the clogged drains onto roads and streets, forcing people to remove the filth-mixed rainwater on their own.

Lakki Marwat district also received rainfall during the last two days, flooding roads and disrupting traffic between rural and urban localities.

Rainwater accumulated in front of the government higher secondary school, Michenkhel in Lakki city, prompting the municipal workers to launch dewatering activity.

In Bajaur district, a fresh spell of rains triggered flash floods causing inconvenience to residents of various areas on Saturday.

Residents told Dawn that a number of link roads were closed to traffic in hilly areas of Mamond tehsil owing to flash floods.

They said link roads in Kaga, Landai, Manoo Jangle and Kalpani areas remained closed to traffic due to flash floods. Moreover, the floodwater also blocked the main Umary-Sewai Road, which connects War Mamond tehsil to rest of the district.

In South Waziristan, floodwaters triggered by a heavy downpour washed away more than a dozen shops and houses in the Jandola Bazaar on Saturday.

Frontier Corps and rescue personnel started relief operations to deal with the flood situation on an emergency basis and rescued people trapped in floodwaters.

Bittani elders told Dawn that after heavy rains in Jandola and South Waziristan, all rainwater courses and torrents were in high flood.

In Lower South Waziristan, Wana-Gomal Zam Road was closed in Sheenkai area due to a landslide.

In Chitral, after a short respite of a week, different valleys were devastated by flash floods on Saturday after torrential rains lashed different parts, especially Yarkhoon valley of Upper Chitral and Lot Koh valley of Lower Chitral.

A resident of Yarkhoon, Syed Nazir Shah, told Dawn on telephone that four major villages, including Dubarger, Zhupu, Wasum and Deosar, were the worst hit.

He said that more than 100 families were shifted to safer places after their houses were submerged by a swollen river.

Mr Shah said roads to Upper Yarkhoon and Broghil had been washed away at multiple places by flash floods, while the Wasum and Deosar villages situated on the right bank of Yarkhoon valley were disconnected from the main road after floods washed away the suspension bridges.

Torkhow and Terich areas in Upper Chitral also received torrential rains, causing floods of low intensity, and suspending traffic for hours on Rech and Khot roads.

In Lower Chitral, the Garam Chashma Road was closed to all kinds of vehicular traffic in Droshp area as a result of the torrential rains, while the streams of Arkari and Karimabad were said to be in high floods. A number of homes in the low-lying areas had been submerged.

The Chitral River was in high floods in Gankorini near Chitral city, which is the confluence of the three main rivers.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024