MANSEHRA: The water level on Friday started receding in the lake created in Kunhar River following its flow was intercepted by the flash floods in Manor stream in Kaghan valley last week.
“The water, which had submerged hotels and business centres last week, has started receding gradually as the weather remained almost dry the entire week,” Mushtaq Khan Swati, former nazim Mahandri told reporters.
Five houses of Swati’s family were swept away in the July 30 flash floods which wreaked havoc in Kaghan and Manor valleys.He said that machines moved in to drain the lake’s water by the Irrigation Department, Frontier Works Organisation and National Highways Authority were still busy clearing the waterway downstream in Kunhar River to avoid further devastation.
“If the government is sincere in minimizing the risk of such devastation in future, it should remove the boulders and silt from Kunhar River,” Swati said. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Revenue department started a survey to assess the damage in Mahandri and the rest of Manor Valley.
According to the initial report, two people, over 30 shops, a dozen houses, five bridges and three small hydropower generators were washed away in the flash floods.The Frontier Works Organisation is erecting a steel bridge at the Manor stream in the Mahandri area to restore the flow of traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“The Manor and Kaghan Valley are still cut off from the rest of the country since the central bridge in Mahandri area was washed away last week,” Deputy Commissioner Adnan Khan told reporters.
