SHANGLA: The residents of the flood-hit Puran tehsil here have urged the government to urgently reopen blocked roads, rebuild washed away bridges, and restore water supply schemes to ease their hardships.

Residents from Kuz Paw, Khwar Banda, Shati Dara, Chagam, and Aloch villages spoke to Dawn on Tuesday, saying the closure of roads and destruction of bridges was causing significant difficulties not only for the locals but also for non-local individuals trying to deliver aid to flood victims.

Niaz Wali Khan, resident of Kuz Paw village, described the flood devastation, stating that their village had been transformed into a mass of rocks and debris, leaving them completely isolated from the rest of the district. “All link roads, as well as pedestrian paths have been washed away by the flood. Patients are carried to hospital on charpoys,” he lamented.

He regretted that the indifference from both the government and the media had exacerbated their suffering.

DC says rehabilitation work under way at rapid pace

Halimullah, a flood victim who lost four family members, shared his heartache, explaining that only one of his relatives had been recovered, while the other three remain missing. He has been searching through the debris and boulders alongside rescuers, but despite five days of searching, they have yet to find the missing.

The grieving young man recounted his attempts to rescue his father and wife, saying that floodwaters swept away his loved ones right before his eyes. He called on the government to repair roads, restore the Makhozi Bridge, and send heavy machinery to assist in the search for his missing family members.

Najamuddin Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami Shangla emir, during a visit to the worst-hit Chawga sub-tehsil, told Dawn that it had now been five days since the devastating floods struck the area, yet the sub-tehsil of Makhozi remained disconnected from the Puran subdivision and the rest of the district.

He pointed out that the critical bridge damaged by the torrential waters on Friday morning had yet to be repaired.

Khan criticised the district administration for its failure to restore the essential road leading to Makhozi, which has hindered relief efforts. He urged the government to prioritise the rehabilitation of major and link roads to facilitate access to affected families.

Deputy commissioner Mohammad Fawad said that more than 70 roads had been damaged and 16 bridges washed away in the floods. He said rehabilitation work was under way at a rapid pace. He said restoration of the Makhozi Bridge was also underway.

Rasool Khan Sharif, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122 in Shangla, informed Dawn that search operations continued in Shati Dara and Khwar Banda for seven missing individuals.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2025