Flash floods ravage several villages of Chitral, displace around 500,000 people
- By Web Desk -
- Jul 22, 2015
The flash floods have disrupted the land link of Kailash, Garam Chashma and Chilas valleys with other parts of the region.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtonkhwa Pervez Khattak will visit the flood-hit district today.
The area has also been facing shortage of food items and other necessities causing hardships for the people of the area.
Pakistan Army and FC are carrying out rescue and relief operation in flood-hit areas of Chitral.
C-130 air crafts for relief efforts
National Disaster Management Authority is to send two C 130 aircraft with food packs to Chitral on Wednesday for distribution among flood affected people.
A spokesman of the authority said in Islamabad that food packs of 40 kilogram each for 500 families have already been sent to the area through Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
The spokesman said Communication and Works Department as well as Public Health Engineering are being pursued for deployment of heavy machinery for the rehabilitation and restoration of the damaged roads and washed away bridges.
Besides ensuring provision of immediate relief to the affected population, the Provincial and District Administrations are also taking steps to restore water supply to Chitral Town while temporary arrangement of water supply through water tankers has been made.
COAS directs Army to provide all assistance
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has directed the Pakistan Army to provide all possible assistance to the flood-hit people in Chitral and elsewhere in the country.
According to ISPR, the Field Commanders have been instructed to carry out reconnaissance of the areas which could possibly be affected by floods.
On the instructions of the Army Chief, all Corps Headquarters are monitoring the flood situation in their respective areas.
All preparations have been made to meet any eventuality arising due to expected floods.
Villages of Layyah, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh face inundation
At least 131 villages of Layyah, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh districts have been inundated by the flood water of Sindh River. According to a spokesman of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, 71 villages have been inundated in Layyah, 50 in Rajanpur and 10 in Muzaffargarh.
The Administration of these districts has already evacuated the people of the area in time and shifted them to safe places.
The spokesman said the Administration is monitoring every kind of situation on the spot.
He said no human loss has been reported from any of these places.
Spillways of Tarbela, Khanpur dams opened
Spillways of Tarbela and Khanpur dams have been opened after surge in water level.
According to the Dam Administration, water level in Tarbela dam has reached 1526 feet.
Water inflow in Tarbela dam is three hundred, forty-nine thousand and two hundred (349,200) cusecs while the outflow is three hundred, nine thousand and five hundred (309,500) cusecs.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations two Army helicopters are engaged in the relief operation. Over eight tons food has so far been distributed among the stranded people and at least fifty persons have been rescued.
Although other parts of the province and the tribal belt have also been affected by heavy rainfall, Chitral has been in the thick of the calamity.
Infrastructure has been the worst-hit and the upper areas of the district have virtually been cut off from the rest of Chitral, leaving as many as 200,000 people stranded.
The water in Khanpur dam went above the danger level after heavy downpour in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The local authorities have also announced opening of the spillways of Rawal dam on 4:00 pm today after the reservoir reached to its brims.
The floodwater has drowned several villages in Muzaffargarh district. The river water has reached to alarming levels in Kot Addu and Rangpur.
River Indus said to be in high flood at Mithan Kot. The River has been in medium flood at Tarbela, Attock, Kalabagh, Chashma and Taunsa. The river has also been in low flood at Guddu and Sukkur barrages in upper Sindh.
Two dead bodies have been found from Indus River near Hyderabad.
Gilgit Baltistan situation
In Gilgit Baltistan, high flood in Ghanche River has badly affected Sub-division Dagoone and Bulgur in Ghanche district.
Around 19 houses were inundated while 32 houses damaged when the river water changed its direction and entered a village.
The flood has also affected six power houses, standing crops and orchards.
The surface communication link of Thalay and Hoshay villages were also cut off with rest of country due land erosion.
Ghanche administration has shifted affected families to safe place and provided them tents and edibles.
Flood devastations in Chitral. #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps pic.twitter.com/WCqLhQYCHw
— Paranoia (@iCleopatraa) July 21, 2015
If the water flood was n Sind,then that wud b incompetency of PPP bt here n KP it’s a natural disaster.No politics #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps
— Hashir Khan (@hashirsays) July 21, 2015
massive flood hits in kp where are the dams you always talk aboutto hold the floodwater3/3 #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps pic.twitter.com/n66DA3wHbr
— mehran khan narejo (@mehran_narejo) July 21, 2015
Terrible flood destruction took place in chitral in past few days no step taken by #KPgovt #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps pic.twitter.com/TVuCpmsV0y
— Abdul Hafeez (@HafeezPPP) July 21, 2015
The best sleep posture for #NayaPakistan dreaming.. #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps pic.twitter.com/ACx7JzRLEq
— Junaid Qaiser (@JunaidQaiser) July 21, 2015
PPl of chitral voted PTI but at difficult time KPK govt failed to save them from flood . #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps pic.twitter.com/S471yyrQMo
— Fayaz Chachar (@ChacharFayaz) July 21, 2015
Sad news from the beauty land. May God give patience to the inhabitants. #ChitralWeepsNiaziSleeps #Chitral #Pakistan
— Waqar AHMAD (@wikki_mirza) July 21, 2015