NADER BUNERI- PESHAWAR- A heavy downpour lashed various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, killing seven people and injuring 11 others while roofs of several houses collapsed in Nowshera, Kohat and Lakki Marwat on Saturday.
Local sources said two children were killed and four others, including a couple, injured in Garhi Rauf Khan, district Kohat, when the roof of their house collapsed in torrential rain. Three others were killed in a roof collapse incident in Pir Payan area of Noshehra while two other persons were injured in Muhajir camp, district Hangu.
A bridge and 100 houses were also damaged due to the flood in Lakki Marwat district. Reports of a heavy rain are coming from Chitral where the people are already facing the devastating flood.
As per the metrological department, more rains are expected till Sunday morning. Peshawar received 28mm rain, Chitral 18mm, Dir 28mm, Saidu Sharif 59mm, Malam Jaba 12 mm, Risalpur 53mm, Kakol 6mm, DI Khan 51mm and Balakot 12mm rain. The upper area received a heavy downpour that increased the water level in various rivers.
Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi said the rainwater inundated Wahid Garhi, Jamil Chowk, Afghan Colony, Wazir Colony, Tehkal and Nasir Bagh areas. Several houses were evacuated and people shifted to safer places from the damaged houses in the city.
A resident of Peshawar, Said Akhtar, told The Nation that the last night’s rain badly damaged their grocery over 300 acres land as the water level increased in a nearby canal coming from Naguman and the River Kabul. He urged the government to remove encroachments from the canal coming from the Takia Naguman area as they are causing a great damage to their houses and crops.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority Director General Amir Afaq and Relief Secretary Tariq Rasheed visited various areas of Nowshera and directed the district administration to ensure provision of relief to the affected area. They also asked the deputy commissioners of all the districts concerned to monitor the situation and ensure supply of edibles to all the areas where water level is rising.
Pakistan Meteorological Department Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore has predicted that River Kabul at Nowshera is likely to attain high flood level, ranging between 150,000 cusecs to 180,000 cusecs during the period from 2200 PST of August 1, 2015 to 1000 PST of August 2, 2015. Therefore, the Met Department requested that all concerned should be cautioned/forewarned to take all necessary precautionary measures to avoid any loss of lives and damage to public as well as private property.
INP adds: At least three persons, including two children, were killed when a flashflood washed away a school van in Nowshera. A heavy rain caused a flashflood in Pirpai area, which swept away a school van. The people of the area succeeded in rescuing 22 children.
The rescue teams rushed to the area. A body was found while search for two children’s bodies were in progress. The local administration issued warning for the adjoining areas of Ravi Saifan and asked the residents to move to safer places.
In Punjab, floodwater destroyed areas of Kallurkot, Gumbat, Layyah, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Liaquatpur and Sadiqabad. The water level in the River Indus rose to 722,868 cusecs at Guddu Barrage and is moving towards Ghotki, Kashmore and Sukkur.
TWO KILLED AS VAN FALLS INTO RAVINE: At least two persons were killed and five others injured when a vehicle, carrying a wedding party, fell into a deep ravine in Dogpaen village of Upper Dir. Due to the continuous spell of rain, water flow in The River Panjkora disrupted traffic from Temergara to Peshawar.
KP Senior Minister and Jamaat-e-Islami Parliamentary Leader Inayatullah Khan expressed grief over the road accident.
Inayatullah, on receiving news about the accident, directed the district administration to start rescue work and shift the injured to local hospital.
KP Finance Minister Muzaffar Syed also expressed shock over the road accident and condoled with the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, 109 people have been killed and 46 injured so far as floods gained intensity around the country, including Chitral that faced a fresh batch of flash floods, according to the NDMA on Saturday.
The NDMA said that around 50 have been killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while another 14 have died in Balochistan after torrential rains.
Flooding in Punjab claimed 21 people and so far over 298,185 people have been caught in the floods. Over 397 villages have suffered damage with 550 homes getting destroyed. Rain-related incidents have seen at least 19 people and five others injured in Azad Kashmir. As many as 189 houses have been damaged while seven villages have been affected.
On Saturday, the NDMA also issued a fresh glacial lake overflow flood (GLOF) warning. Floods have affected as many as 136,000 people in the region with 653 houses damaged and 175 villages affected. Over 7,000 were affected while 2,705 houses were damaged