PESHAWAR, July 17: Human settlements and agricultural land situated close to river banks in low-lying areas of the NWFP run a high risk of damage from medium to high floods likely to hit the region this year, said official sources.

The flood relief commissioner, NWFP, had issued instructions to district coordination officers (DCOs) in all 24 districts of the province in May to take necessary step to avoid loss of lives and damage to human settlements and agricultural lands in areas along rivers.

Officials, however, said that the district governments lacked capacity to undertake measures that could protect human settlements or agricultural land situated close to river banks.

None of the district governments, they maintained, had adequate financial and human resources to carry out such an exercise nor do any of them have a disaster management plan for their areas under threat.

More than 75 villages in three low-lying districts of the province - Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda - had experienced floods in June 2005. Over 40,000 people had been displaced and about 30,000 acres of agriculture remained inundated for four to eight weeks.

Officials urged that in line with instructions, the DCOs should underline disaster management plans for the areas under threat and make preparations to shift people to safe areas. Similarly, they should make announcements for the general public to shift from such localities, and weak embankments should be strengthened, they added.

Unlike last year when Kabul and Swat rivers experienced heavy floods due to more rainfall in their catchment areas as well as heavy snowfall in upper parts of the province, this year the two main rivers of the province are likely to experience medium flood in mid-July.

“Even though a repeat of the last year’s situation is not expected this year, some low-lying areas, particularly those situated along riverbanks, may take a hit,” said an official of the flood relief commission.

District government officials said that both Nowshera and Peshawar are unprepared to deal with any emergency in case of floods. “It requires a lot of money and human resources to strengthen weak embankments,” said a Nowshera district government official.