Flash flood washes away two bridges, link road in Dir

DIR: Flash flood washed away two bridges in Barikot union council, a link road in Gawaldi union council, and a portion of main Dir-Kumrat road after torrential rains in Upper Dir, locals said on Sunday.

The water level rose sharply in Bada and other streams after the rain which caused the flash flood, eyewitnesses said.

They said a bridge in Khadgal area in Barikot was washed away by the flood and another bridge was also damaged. A house was also damaged. However, no loss of life was reported. Flash flood also washed away a portion of main Dir-Kumrat road at Barikot and a number of vehicles and tourists were left stranded as the road was damaged.

However, the residents repaired the damaged portion after the rain stopped and the tourists managed to leave the area. It may be mentioned that flash flood also hit the same area last week in which three people were injured. Link road of the Gawaldi UC was also blocked to traffic at various places due to the flash flood.

Muhammad Ismail and Ibrahim Khan, residents of Gawaldi, said the people of Gawadi union council had been cut off from the rest of the district owing to blockage of the road. They asked the district administration and the provincial government to issue directives for reopening the road. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has issued a warning of floods in Upper Dir and asked the district administration to take precautionary measures. The district administration has directed people not to go to river bank particularly during the rain. DC of Upper Dir Abdul Hameed Khan said people should not go near the brink of rivers.