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Friday March 29, 2024

350 families shifted to safer places in Nowshera

Heavy rain continues to play havoc in Lakki Marwat; five more bodies recovered from river in Dir

By Mushtaq Paracha
August 03, 2015
NOWSHERA: Around 350 families have been shifted to safer places after several localities came under floodwaters in the district, official sources said on Sunday.
The district received the highest rain during the third round of the monsoon. Highest flood passed at Nowshera in River Kabul, submerging several areas and destroying standing crops.
Flash floods inundated Hassanabad, Misalabad, Shaheedabad, Sheikhabad, Azeemabad and Ghanderi localities in Nowshera Kalan forcing 350 families to leave their homes.
These families were shifted to safer areas. Colleges and schools at safer places were opened for accommodating the affected families.
The sources said that the damage was caused due to encroachments along the Kalpani nullah and the administration’s negligence to conduct desiltation drive. Floodwaters had also submerged villages in Azakhel Payan and Pirpiai. Standing crops and poultry farms were destroyed in the affected areas.
District Council members Haji Nowshera Khan, Qazi Wajidul Haq and notables Ijaz Khan and others asked the government to take measure to protect the affected people from waterborne diseases and provide assistance to these people.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders including Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel and Member National Assembly (MNA) Dr Imran Khattak, on the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, visited the flood affected areas in the district.
MNA Dr Imran Khattak, Provincial Minister Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, Member Provincial Assembly Idrees Khattak and Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Amir Afaq also visited the flood affected areas in Pabbi and Nowshera tehsils and assessed the damage.
The chief minister had directed them to assess the damage and complete rehabilitation work on emergency basis. Pervez Khattak also directed them to provide food, medicines and clean drinking water to people of the flood affected areas.
Our correspondent in Lakki Marwat adds: Heavy rain played havoc in the district on the third consecutive day on Sunday, hampering relief and rescue activities and forcing the local administration to erect embankments for the protection of Lakki city.
The district administration arranged heavy machinery and excavators to build a bund for the protection of the congested Saeedkhel locality of Lakki city.
The Army soldiers and policemen also rescued stranded people from flood-hit areas and continued efforts to repair broken roads and bridges to restore flow of traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab via Bannu-Mianwali road.
The flooded water channels and the three-day long spell of rainfall also raised water level in Gambila River, prompting the administration and law enforcement agencies to shift Lakki jail prisoners to the prisons of neighbouring districts.
Rain and flood water also inundated several government schools in Saeedkhel, railway station area and other localities.
Besides Lakki city, the rural localities including Dallokhel, Abakhel, Mela Shahabkhel, Masha Mansoor, Zangikhel, Banikhel, Landiwah, Wanda Shahaabkhel, Mir Azam Michenkhel, Aatashi Mich enkhel, Sarkati Michenkhel and Darra Pezu are among the worst hit areas where flash floods incurred large scale loses on local residents.
According to reports, an affected family comprising 19 members, including male, females and children were shifted to the relief camp set at Government Muhammad Ghassan Shaheed Centennial Model High School in Lakki city.
ADEO Nisar Muhammad told this correspondent that the affected family belongs to Lakki city and the house they were residing in was swept away by floodwater.
“The local administration will provide maximum relief and facilities to the flood hit people in the relief camps,” said an official of local administration.
Our correspondent in Dir adds: Five bodies, out of seven missing people, were recovered from Panjkora River on Sunday as death toll from the Doog Darra vehicle plunge reached eight.
A wedding bus had plunged into the river in Doog Payeen area of Upper Dir district Saturday morning. Three people died on the spot while seven others were swept away by the stream.
Bodies of missing women Bakhtwar Jana, 80, and Felharam, 30, were recovered from the river in Bibyawar area and two others Ishaq, 16, and Israr, 19, were recovered from the water at Khal, an area of Lower Dir district.
According to local police, body of a minor girl was recovered in Charsadda district, about 200 kilometres away from the place of incident. District Police Officer Syed Israruddin Bacha told this correspondent that rescue work still continued for recovery of the other two missing people, who are also feared dead.