Heavy rain disrupts life in KP

PESHAWAR: The heavy rain, which started in the provincial capital and other parts of KP on Monday and continued on Tuesday, claimed at least two lives, damaged 24 houses, disrupting power supply to most areas and affecting civic life.

It rained cats and dogs in Peshawar and its neighbouring districts, including Nowshera, Mardan, Charsadda and Khyber, plummeting the temperature and forcing the dwellers to bring out warm clothes.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported 24 incidents of house collapse in Upper Dir, Kurram and North Waziristan districts. Ten houses were destroyed while 14 dwellings were partially damaged.

A woman was killed when the roof of a house caved in at Chatpat Killay in Chakdara.

The villagers said that the widow of Zarif Khan was killed on the spot when the roof of a room in the house collapsed in Chatpat Killay.

They said the continuous heavy rains had weakened the structure, which collapsed all of a sudden, burying the woman alive under the debris.

The residents retrieved the body from the rubble.

Later, Assistant Commissioner Syed Muhammad Abdullah visited the members of the affected family and handed over the tent and assured that financial assistance would be provided as well.

The rainwater inundated the area after nullah (stream) blocked at Cheena Koroona in Mian Issa in Lundkhwar tehsil of Mardan district and destroyed and damaged a number of houses and the building of the mosque.

The Rescue 1122 teams rushed to the spot and rescued the villagers and shifted them and their belongings to safer places in the area.

However, the houses of Fazal Akbar, Akhtar Muneer, Sadaat, Nasar Ali, Asif Ali and others, residents of Cheena Koroona, were destroyed when floodwater inundated the structures that were already weakened by the heavy rains.

The building of a mosque was also damaged by the floodwater caused by the blockade of a nullah in the area.

The Rescue 1122 teams declared several other houses dangerous for living and evacuated the inmates and their belonging to safer places.

Meanwhile, a labourer identified as Ahmad Ali, a resident of Shamozai, was killed when a boulder fell on him in Shamozai area in Katlang tehsil.

The Rescue 1122 medical team rushed to the spot and immediately provided medical assistance to the victim.

He was then shifted to Katlang Hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.

At least three houses were damaged in parts of Bajaur tribal district. In Odigram, the wall of the house of Masihullah collapsed under heavy rain. The wall of the house of Saeedullah collapsed in Mamond while one of the rooms of the house of Mirzool collapsed in Ghaljo.

The rain and snowfall also blocked roads in Upper and Lower Chitral to different parts of the two districts as well as the Shandur pass.

Moreover, two houses were also damaged in Garam Chashma valley due to the heavy rain and snowfall. The houses belonged to Sher Afzal in Ucho Gol and Mrs Bibi, daughter of Mirza, in Murdan.

The reports showed that Lowari Tunnel approach roads, Garam Chashma, Kalash valleys and Shishi Koh were blocked due to avalanches, landslides and flooding in mullahs.

A stream in the Dir side of the Lowari Tunnel that had been cleared by removal debris by the Upper Dir administration was again flooded and closed for traffic.

As a result, passenger vehicles are stranded on both sides of the tunnel, the office of the deputy commissioner Lower Chitral confirmed. Roads were closed in the Drosh town and nearby areas due to flooding in mullahs.

Meanwhile, there were reports about snowfall in upper parts of Yarkhun, Torkhow Laspur and other areas.

With the continuous rain, a cold wave again gripped Chitral and people were confined to their homes. The prices of firewood increased as well.

MINGORA: Rain and snowfall in the plain and hilly areas of Swat district continued for the third consecutive day.

The weather got chillier after heavy snowfall reported in the tourist spots including Kalam, Malam Jabba and other mountainous parts of the district.

The tourists and locals faced hardships while going to Kalam and Mingora.

People remained indoors due to the weather turned chilly by continuous rain and snowfall in the valley.

The rain and snowfall dipped the temperature, forcing the people to start wearing warm clothes and woolies.

According to Met Office, Peshawar received 45 mm of rain, Chitral 18 mm, Dir 55 mm, Malam Jabba 64 mm, Dera Ismail Khan Khan 11, Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram sistrict, received around 24 millimeters of rain while the famous Spin Ghar was covered in snow.

In Peshawar, Rescue 1122 staff members pumped out water from houses in areas including Palosi, Badaber, Pishtakhara, Daura road and Industrial area Hayatabad.

People living within the vicinity of Budni Nullah were worried about the overflow of rainwater which in the past caused inundation of houses in areas including Warsak road, Charsadda road and other parts of Peshawar and Khyber districts.

The rain caused power disruption in different parts of the area, creating problems for consumers.

Due to accumulation of rain water on roads, traffic rush was also witnessed in different areas of Peshawar.

PESCO: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) said the windstorm and continuous rains disrupted the power supply from 260 feeders across the province.

A communication said the affected power feeders included 56 from Bannu Circle, 58 from Khyber Circle, 60 from Peshawar Circle, 17 from Mardan Circle, 21 from Swabi Circle, 17 from Hazara I, 20 from hazara-II and 10 from Swat Circle.

The Pesco said the power supply to 37 per cent of the affected areas had been restored while work was in progress to resume the electricity supply to the remaining areas.

WSSP: The Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) had deployed all workers and machinery during rain removing waste and keeping drains open to prevent inundation of roads and low-lying localities.

A press release said Chief Executive Officer Hassan Nasir, General Manager (operations) Riaz Ahmad Khan, zonal managers and managers were in the field.

The Information Management Department is on duty and entertaining complaints about water supply and ponding on roads, streets and drains.

The chief executive officer visited localities and monitored the situation. He inspected water and sanitation operations on all major roads, including University Road, Warsak Road, GT Road, City Circular Road, Kohat Road, Bara Road, Charsadda Road and Ring Road.

Different localities were visited regularly which included Akhunabad, Shaheedabad, Nauthia, Hazarkhwani, Board Bazar, Kakshal, Paharipura, Gulabad, Tehkal Payan and Tehkal Bala, Arbab Road, Abdara Road, Karkhano Market, Malakandher, Rahatabad, Bashirabad and Gulbahar.

The press release said the situation on all roads and low-lying localities were under control and so far no inundation of water has been reported from any locality.

The WSSP collaborated with other tehsil municipal administrations to extend services they need in case of any emergency.