Nine more killed in rain-related incidents in KP, Balochistan

LAHORE: At least nine people, including women and children, lost their lives in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as torrential rains lashed several parts of the country during the last 24 hours.

At the same time, hundreds were displaced from 50 villages inundated after the Chenab River burst its banks.

The deaths come in the wake of Thursday’s warning by the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) of more rain/wind thundershowers over the next three days.

In the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four people, including three children, were killed when the roof of a house caved in following a mudslide in due to incessant rains. This led to the unfortunate deaths of three minor children and their mother while another three children sustained injuries and were trapped under the debris.

Relatives, neighbours and locals managed to recover three children alive and retrieved the bodies of two sons and a two-year-old girl from the rubble.

During the last week, the death toll caused by the heavy rainfall incidents in the district of Mansehra has risen to 12 persons.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has reported three deaths from Khuzdar, Kech and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan. Three girls drowned when they fell into a flooded watercourse at a village in Sohbatpur district in Balochistan. A 12-year-old girl was swept away by floodwaters in the Jhal Magsi, while a man died in Khuzdar when lightning struck him during heavy rain and thunderstorm. At least 10 people have died in rain-related incidents in Balochistan since June 19 when monsoon rains began, the PDMA stated. Seven people trapped in flash floods were rescued, the PDMA said. Six persons were trapped in flooding in Barkhan district and one in Harnai, disaster management body stated. Heavy rains and flooding have destroyed 100 houses while partially damaged over 200 houses in the province, it said. The ongoing rain spell will continue until July 29, the PDMA said.

In a related development, hundreds of people were displaced when at least 50 villages were inundated after the Chenab River burst its banks in Punjab, officials said. “You can say the seasonal rains are the cause of rising water levels,” said Aurang Zaib, an official at the Chiniot Flood Control Room. “Due to river erosion, the low-lying villages have been affected by flooding,” he told AFP.

River levels have also been affected by neighbouring India opening sluice gates to release pent-up water into the Indus tributary. According to reports 66 people died in rain-related incidents in Punjab, there were 41 fatalities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15 in Sindh, 10 in Balochistan, 11 in Islamabad, six in AJK and five deaths in Gilgit Baltistan. More than 233 people had been injured in incidents caused by the rains or flooding while more than 468 houses were damaged. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD) warned that the upper and central parts of the country were likely to experience rain/wind-thundershowers over the next three days (from July 27 to July 30).

The forecast cited monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea continuously penetrating while a westerly wave is also present in the upper and central parts of the country. Under the influence of these systems, rain/wind-thundershowers (with scattered heavy falls) are expected in Kashmir, (Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber, Mirpur), Gilgit Baltistan (Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar), Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Karak, Waziristan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kasur, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Bhakkar, Sahiwal, Bahawalnagar and Okara with occasional gaps.

It further added that rain/wind-thundershowers (with few heavy falls) was expected in Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Mastung, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Zhob, Sherani, Barkhan, Musakhel, Kohlu, Jhal Magsi, Loralai, Dera Ghazi khan, Rajanpur, Multan, Khanewal, Layyah, Kot Addu, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan from the night of July 27 to July 28.

The PMD also warned that heavy rains may generate flash floods in Balochistan and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan on July 27 (night) and July 28. While the same weather was expected in Kashmir, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner, Manshera, Abbottabad, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, including (Lai Nullah), from July 27 to 29. These heavy rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore, and Faisalabad from the night of July 27 to July 29. They may also trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a related development, the Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim expressed his dismay over the accumulation of rainwater in the underpasses and stopped the Central Business District from working on all projects until further orders. The court has also ordered to set up an inquiry committee on the rainwater accumulation in the Central Business District underpass. The court ordered the secretary to conduct an inquiry against the chief executive officer of the CBD. It also expressed its strong displeasure over the release of funds for unsatisfactory projects.

The court remarked that the deputy commissioner should compensate those affected by rainwater. The court inquired what action was taken against the contractor who constructed the CBD underpass. “Why did you rush into inaugurating the underpass,” the court questioned. During the hearing, CBD lawyer Shazab Masood submitted an investigation report regarding the underpasses project. Expressing dissatisfaction, the judge remarked that “tell me what kind of reports the government is making. Something has been written about everyone, but nothing has been written about the CEO who is responsible.”