Flood Water Swept Away Roads in Chitral Due to Heavy Rains

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Peshawar: Heavy rain hit hard, resulting in roads being swept away by closing all traffic between Chitral and Peshawar.

A house was affected in Chitral city, and a girl child was injured and was shifted to District Headquarters Hospital, Deputy Commissioner Chitral Muhammad Imran told mediamen here on Saturday.

He stated that heavy machinery was working on the opening of roads, and besides, a high alert has been issued to those living close to nullhas and streams due to heavy rain.

The DC said that officials of the district administration have been on high alert, along with NHAs and PDMA staff. A house was affected by heavy rains in Chitral City, and a girl was injured, he confirmed.

 The injured girl was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Chitral, and doctors said that she was out of danger. There was a confirmed report that tourists’ vehicles were affected by floods in Chamarkhan Nala, and the route was restored, the Deputy Commissioner said.

He disclosed that in Lower Chitral’s Belpok village, Chitral Garam Chashma Road was closed due to a flood relay, and traffic was also affected.

Due to rain, the Chitral to Peshawar road is closed for all types of traffic due to flooding in rivers and canals, and tourists and locals have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel.

Deputy Commissioner Chitral said that rain has continued in the Lower Chitral district and suburbs till now. In light of the orders of Deputy Commissioner Lower Chitral Muhammad Imran Khan, line departments are on alert.

Traffic flow is affected at various places due to an increase in flood water levels and landslides in Nullas. The machinery of the TMA department and NHA is busy cleaning various drains. The machinery of the NHA department is engaged in the clearance operation at the location of heavy floods, Muhammad Imran Khan said. 

Tourists are advised to travel after obtaining complete information about the access roads, he said. Avoid unnecessary travel in inclement weather until routes are fully cleared, and if there is any untoward incident, report an emergency to the DC control room on the following telephone number: 0943412519.

Heavy rains have caused flooding in Meena Khor on Lowari Tunnel Road. Travelers to Chitral, including tourists to Lowari Tunnel, should also avoid traveling before the rain stops and the water level recedes, the DC Chitral said while issuing a warning to the general public and tourists. 

Heavy rain occurred in most districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, the Met Office said. The official said that cold was returned due to rain on Eid and will also be cold due to rain. It has been raining continuously since last night in the city of Peshawar and in the rest of the areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Due to the rain, the temperature has dropped significantly, the officials of the Meteorological Department said. About the highest rainfall record, he said, Kalam 18mm, Malam Jabba 17mm, Parachinar 15mm, Chitral 17mm, Darosh 10, Mirkhani 09, Dir (Upper 07, Lower 02), Saidu Sharif Swat, Patan 03, and Kakul 02mm rain recorded.

In Upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, there was rain with strong winds and thunder in a few places, including Chitral. Rains and snowfall are likely to continue intermittently until April 15, the official said.

Meanwhile, electricity supply was affected in most areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa due to rain. As many as 140 PESCO feeders have been tripped due to rain, a PESCO spokesperson informed me when contacted. He said 56 feeders have been tripped in Peshawar Circle, 44 in Khyber, 20 in Swat, and 22 in Bannu Circle.

PESCO field staff are working to restore power, a Pesco spokesperson said. Repair work on several feeders has been completed, and power has been restored to some areas, he said. He added that the work on the remaining feeders is in progress, and power will be fully restored soon.