Landsliding disrupts traffic flow in Haripur

HARIPUR: A heavy rain that lashed Haripur and upper Hazara early Monday, caused damage to roads, a school building, while landsliding at various points disrupted traffic flow, officials and local people said here.

Officials said the two rooms building of Government Primary School for Boys in Behki village was damaged after heavy rain. They said the building had been in poor condition for months and could not be repaired despite repeated complaints.

The rooms caved in and the courtyard developed several feet deep patholes as the rainwater accumulated there. The officials said the school reopened on Monday after the summer vacation, but the attendance of the students was very thin due to rain and the water accumulated there kept the students away and hence there was no casualty when the part of the structure collapsed.

Meanwhile, two remote union councils of Nara Amazai and Baitgali were affected due to landsliding at different points caused by rains. According to Qari Noor Husain Tanoli, chairman, Devi Village Council, the main artery connecting the population of the entire union council of Nara Amazai was closed for traffic after landsliding near Garhi Shah Muhammad.

Similarly, traffic was suspended in various village councils of Baitgali Union Council, due to landsliding that restricted the mobility of villagers. He said that the link roads at Devi Gali, Kangroch, Kaneeri, Devi Bani, Tamgran, Puliyan and Namdara were the few to name where the landsliding caused obstruction and the passages were yet to be cleared. The early morning heavy rain damaged crops in different villages while over six heavily flooded rainwater courses both in urban and rural areas of the district.