KP govt declares rain emergency in Lower, Upper Chitral

PESHAWAR (INP): The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday declared a rain emergency in Lower and Upper Chitral following flash floods and torrential downpour. Heavy rain with strong winds and thunderstorms lashed parts of the province on Saturday, triggering landslides and destroying infrastructure.
The rain continued intermittently through the day, resulting in a “large-scale devastation” in the district. The deluge also triggered flash floods in Chitral, which washed away bridges, roads, and livestock. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, several areas of the country are likely to continue to receive rain until July 26.
The notification issued by the Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department on Sunday said that the deputy commissioners of both districts had requested for an “emergency” to be declared in order to enable them to “launch immediate rescue and relief activities”.
Therefore, the provincial government declared a rain emergency in the two districts with immediate effect, adding that it would remain in place till August 15 “for provision of relief and restoration of damaged communication network and water supply”.
Meanwhile, KP Interim Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan directed the relief department and the district administration to remain on “high alert”. He directed authorities to immediately launch relief and rescue activities and to ensure that aid was provided to the affectees.
The chief minister also ordered for the affected people to be moved to safer locations and asserted that the provincial government would help them “in every possible way”.
Separately, four people of the same family lost their lives while one was injured in a landslide in Gilgit Baltistan’s Skardu district, police said. Skardu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raja Mirza Hasan said a family hailing from the Astore district was heading to Gilgit from Skardu when the landslide occurred.
He added that as the family fled their car for safety, they got caught in another landslide, which killed three women and a child. SSP Hasan further said that officials could not reach the affected family immediately as the highway was blocked at four points due to landslides triggered by rainfall. Rescue teams are trying to reach the site of the incident to recover the injured and the bodies, he added.