KP government declares high to very high floods” in the Swat River.
KP government declares an emergency in Swat till August 30 amid extreme flooding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared an emergency in Swat. The scale of devastation caused by extreme flooding in the district reached out of control following record rains. Provincial authorities are facing difficulty in rescuing affected families from hill stations of Swat, Dir, and Chitral.
The state of emergency stays until August 30. KP CM Mahmood Khan has directed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to expedite relief activities in the area beside the timely provision of groceries, cooked food, and other items to the affecters.
A number of hotels and restaurants have been submerged on the Mingora Bypass, and Swat Mingora Bypass Road has been closed for traffic due to inundation. In nowhere, meanwhile, public and private schools closed for two days due to flooding, the deputy commissioner said.
In Kalam, a new hotel completely destroyed due to rain and flash floods.
KP flood advisory
In a flood advisory, Pakistan’s Balochistan province communication links were snapped by floods issued on Friday,KP’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre said that water flows in River Swat at Khawazakhela point and its tributaries/nullahs had reached high to very high flood levels — 227,899 cusecs — which “may result in a dangerous situation for communities living nearby”.
The deputy commissioners of Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, and Peshawar were instructed to “immediately identify vulnerable points and communities at risk to devise mitigation and safety measures”.
“Maintain enhanced alert level and monitor the developing situation to reduce reaction and response times,” the center said, calling for the sensitization of people living on the banks of the rivers about the increase in water flows.
“Make announcements for timely evacuation of the at-risk population from low-lying/flood-prone areas as per evacuation plans,” it added..
The PDMA also instructed authorities to evacuate cattle from areas at risk of flooding, as well as restrict vehicle movement there.
Devastating floodwaters sweep away houses in Swat
A video of a big house being washed away by the floods in Swat shows the devastation the rains caused, with many others like it broken or swept away, besides the damage to roads, and hundreds of lives lost.
In the video, people can be seen shouting, “Astaghfirullah, Astaghfirullah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,” as the building collapsed within seconds of being hit.
Important developments
- Emergency declared in Swat district after water levels in River Swat reach 227, 899 cusecs.
The government and schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will close until further notification.
Imran khan visits the flooded areas in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank.
PM Shahbaz Shehbaz Sharif announces an Rs15 billion grant for Sindh.
Earlier today, at least three people drowned in the River Indus near the Bisham area of Shangla. According to the locality’s station house officer. A flood swept away Abbas Khan and two other men in the Shang area.
Shamsul Hadi, a resident, said that a flood swept away three houses and a mosque. The roads and bridges leading to the Ranolia and Dubair areas completely destroyed due to heavy floods.
Range of Rain
Sindh and Balochistan are witnessing the heaviest rainfall this year since 1961, as the two provinces recorded until Thursday 522 and 469 percent, more than the normal downpour this year, respectively.“Sindh has received 680.5 millimeters of rain since July when the monsoon season actually began,” said a Met official.
“As per calculated and defined standards. Sindh normally gets 109.5mm of rain in the monsoon season. So it’s 522pc higher than normal. Similarly, Balochistan receives 50mm of rain on average every monsoon, but it has so far recorded 284mm — 469pc higher. The country has overall witnessed 207 times higher rainfall so far this monsoon and the season is going to last till September-end.”
In other parts of the country also, the situation didn’t look so different this year. Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the Met Office data, has so far received 50.3mm of rain in two months. The rainfall is 99pc above normal and Punjab is 349mm, exactly 90pc higher than its normal downpour in monsoon. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed 31pc above normal rain this monsoon.
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