More deaths, destruction in KP floods

Wednesday, August 04, 2010
By Bureau report (The news International)
PESHAWAR: More deaths due to rains and floods have been reported from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while dozens of roads are yet to be opened.

Official figure of deaths across the province reached 777, though the International Committee of the Red Cross put the toll at 1,500. About 766 people were injured and according to official report 19,730 houses were destroyed and 2,149 houses damaged. A total of 200 roads and 91 bridges were destroyed and 85 educational institutions and 257 water supply schemes were damaged.

The Peshawar-Charsadda Road was closed beyond Sardaryab at River Khiyali where the bridge collapsed. The DI Khan-Chashma Road was also closed and so were the Dir and Barawal roads at Chukiatan, the Swat-Mingora Bypass Road, Chakdara-Baghdherai Road, Batkhela-Totakan Road, Timergara Road at Khazana and Timergara, Charsadda-Dildar Garhi Road, Bannu Link Road, Bannu Approach Road and Hamid Janikhel Road, Nowshera-Misri Banda Road and Charsadda-Merza and Battagram Road at Mandara bridge.

The relief activities, however, continued in almost all districts of the province though there were complaints by the affected people that they were not getting timely help.

Sakhakot: A dispatch said four persons including three women were killed as lightening hit the remote Khanorai village in Malakand Agency on Tuesday. The flood swept away the bodies. Those killed were identified as wife of Said Rahman, wife of Amir Wahab, wife of Dilawar and minor son of Abdul Qadir. Till filing of this report, the bodies had not been recovered.

Batkhela: Reports said a member of Tableeghi Jamaat, identified as Sartaj son of Said Nawab and resident of Ghundai Totakan, drowned when he was trying to cross the river. The body of a youth identified as Zafar Ali from Swat was recovered at Amandara headworks and sent to his native Khwazakhela.

Swat: Residents across river Swat are faced with a host of problems and a 20kg bag of flour is being sold for Rs1700 against previous price of Rs530. There are also reports about outbreak of diarrhoea and other diseases in Totakan.

DI Khan: More rain on Tuesday added to the miseries of flood affectees already living under the open sky. Attendance in offices remained thin due to floods in streams, the communications system was badly affected and electricity remained suspended. There were also reports about collapse of houses. Relief activities by the administration were invisible.

Kohat: As many as 2,500 homes were destroyed in the rains and floods and losses to properties were in millions. A large number of cattle-head were killed by the floods and so were 22 people. Another 12 persons were injured and roads, schools, mosques were damaged.

Hangu: Seven persons were killed and 350 houses, two schools, two bridges and three mosques were damaged, sources said.

Karak: Up to 14 persons were killed and a dozen injured in the district. A total of 150 houses were damaged. A link bridge was also damaged causing severe hardships to the residents. The floods also caused diseases and shortages of food, water and other commodities.

Tank: Heavy rain once again caused damage to infrastructure, crops and communication system across the district. About 12 houses caved in Ilahiabad locality as main drainage stream of the city was blocked and houses were inundated. The Tank-Bannu, Tank-DI Khan and Tank-Wana roads also remained blocked. Rainwater caused damage to equipment at the Christian Hospital. The hospital administrator, Mr Simon, told media that despite repeated requests the district administration had failed to pump out water from the hospital.

Meanwhile, angry peasants held protest following the death of a girl. The girl drowned in flood in Warooki village on Monday. Two protesters, Zahid and Gul Tayaz, received bullet injuries when police opened fire to disperse the mob.

Mohmand Agency: One person was killed and two went missing due to rain and flood. The rain also damaged bridges and communications system while 108 houses collapsed in Mohmand Agency. The Peshawar-Bajaur road also remained blocked.

Malakand Agency: Reports said communications system and electricity supply could not be restored despite passage of seven days of floods. Restoration work on bridges is underway with a slow pace and the cutting of road links has caused severe shortage of food items.