The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) has declared a rain exigency in the Swat quarter with immediate effect till August 30 after the Provincial Management Disaster Authority(PDMA) advised of “high to veritably high cataracts” in the Swat River.
The decision was taken on the recommendation of the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA).
In a announcement issued on Friday, KP’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre said that water flows in River Swat at Khawazakhela point and its feeders nullahs had reached high to veritably high flood tide situations which “may affect in a dangerous situation for communities living hard”.
Key developments:
- Emergency declared in several KP districts till Aug 30 in view of floods
- Bridges, schools and hotels swept away by floods in Swat, neighbouring areas
- Government and private schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa closed until further notice
- PTI chairman Imran Khan visits flood-affected areas in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announces Rs15 billion grant for Sindh
- Balochistan loses communication with rest of the country after overnight rains
It has directed the deputy officers of Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar to incontinently identify vulnerable points and communities at threat to concoct mitigation and safety measures.
“Maintain enhanced alert position and cover the developing situation to reduce response and response times,” the centre said, calling for the sensitisation of people living on the banks of the gutters about the increase in water overflows.
“Make adverts for timely evacuation of the at- threat population from low- lying/ flood tide-prone areas as per evacuation plans,” it added.
The PDMA also instructed authorities to void cattle from areas at threat of flooding, as well as circumscribe vehicle movement there.
Thunderstorm rains this time have spelt disaster for the country. Flash cataracts in Shangla and Kohistan history extorted annihilation where several portions of the Karakoram Highway, link roads, suspense islands, houses, hospitals, seminaries, mini power stations, and water manufactories were fully washed down.
Before moment, at least three people drowned in the River Indus near the Bisham area of Shangla. According to the position’s station house officer, Abbas Khan, two other men in the Shang area were also swept down during the cataracts.
Independently, a Shangla health department functionary, Ijaz Ahmad, toldDawn.com that a pastoral health centre in the Karora area had been washed down by the cataracts in the Kana swash.
Shamsul Hadi, a occupant, said that three houses and a synagogue were swept down in the cataracts, while roads and islands leading to the Ranolia and Dubair areas had been fully destroyed.
In Shangla, the Alpuri- Puran and Karora- Kana roads also suffered several damages at several points, creating a sense of fear among the residers as they were confined to their houses.
All government and private seminaries in the area have also been closed until farther notice.
In a statement moment, the Frontier Works Organisation said that the Karakoram Highway was swept down by cataracts at Zaidkarh Dassua and was blocked at several points due to landslides.
latterly in the day, PTI principal Imran Khan and KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan left for Dera Ismail Khan and Tank to meet people affected by cataracts in the two sections in the wake of rain- convinced flooding, the PTI said on its sanctioned Twitter.
A posterior tweet quoted Imran as saying that Punjab and KP government should give immediate relief to those affected by cataracts.
“Those affected(by cataracts) should be handed help without demarcation. I’ll not abandon the nation in this hour of difficulty,” Imran said, according to the tweet.
Also Read: Flooding in Pakistan is More Than What It Seems
PM Shehbaz arrives in Sukkur, meets flood tide affectees
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Sindh before moment to overview the deliverance and relief operations in the fiefdom.
The premier visited Sukkur and met the flood tide affectees where he was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
PM Shehbaz also met the principal clerk of Sindh and officers of the NDMA, who briefed him on the deliverance operations.
In a media talk latterly, he blazoned that every rain- affected ménage in Sukkur would be given Rs25,000 under the Benazir Income Support Programme(BISP). “I’ve instructed it to start the disbursement( of plutocrat) from moment only.”
The high minister said that Rs28 billion will be distrbuted among the victims, which has formerly been handed over to BISP. “This matter doesn’t end then, as the rains continue, this quantum will increase. The civil govt is prepared for it despite the profitable situation, we’re doing all this for you.”
He also said that Energy Minister Khurram Dastagir would stay in the fiefdom until all the grid stations were made functional again. “ He’ll help the Sindh government and give me regular updates, ” the premier added.
Also Read: The never-ending Shadow of Calamities over Balochistan
Record- breaking rain
According to a Dawn report moment, Sindh and Balochistan are witnessing the heaviest downfall this time since 1961, as the two businesses recorded until Thursday 522 and 469 per cent, further than the normal rain this time, independently.
“Sindh has entered 680.5 millimetres of rain since July when the thunderstorm season actually began, ” said a Met functionary.
“As per calculated and defined norms, Sindh typically gets109.5 mm rains in the thunderstorm season. So it’s 522pc advanced than normal. also, Balochistan receives 50 mm of rain on average every thunderstorm, but it has so far recorded 284 mm — 469pc advanced. The country has overall witnessed 207 times advanced downfall so far this thunderstorm and the season is going to last till September- end.”
In other corridor of the country also, the situation did n’t look so different this time. Gilgit- Baltistan, according to the Met Office data, has so far entered 50.3 mm rain in two months, which is 99pc above normal and Punjab 349 mm, exactly 90pc advanced than its normal rain in thunderstorm. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed 31pc above normal rain this thunderstorm, where so far 257.4 mm rains have been recorded.
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Source: Dawn News
