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Four more people died in rain-related incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla and Charsada districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the death toll in the province rose to 25, officials said on Tuesday.
Continuous heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms have lashed several parts of the country in the past few days. Heavy rainfall, floods and landslides continued to wreak havoc in the northern parts of KP for the fourth consecutive day.
According to a KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report issued last night, the death toll since April 12 rose to 21 with 13 more deaths — six men, two women and five children. Meanwhile, the total number of injured rose to 32.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi told Dawn.com today that two children were killed after a house collapsed in Shabqadar, Charsadda.
Separately, Shangla Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ziaur Rehman also confirmed to Dawn.com two deaths in Shangla on Monday night in the Dehrai area of Alpuri where a mother and her 12-year-old son were swept away in the flash floods.
With four more casualties, the death toll in the province reached 25 on Tuesday.
DC Shangla said the rehabilitation work on roads had begun and rubble was being removed from the main roads in the first stage, while link roads would also be cleared for traffic.
Zahid Kathana, a resident of Dubair in Lower Kohistan, told Dawn.com that the makeshift roads and bridges had been washed away by the flash floods for the fifth time since 2010, forcing residents to stay in their homes.
He said people began taking their patients to hospitals on makeshift arrangements such as charpoys while walking in the hard terrain of the valley, taking hours to reach healthcare facilities.
The water level in the rivers decreased after the rain stopped in the region and PDMA commenced relief activities in the affected districts of KP.
Another spell of rain expected
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted rain across the country, extending till April 22 as “another strong westerly wave” was likely to enter western parts of the country tonight.
The PMD said the westerly wave was also likely to grip most parts of Balochistan tomorrow (Wednesday) and will extend to upper parts on Thursday.
According to the met office, under the weather system’s influence, “rain-wind/thunderstorm (few heavy, with isolated very heavy falls)” was expected in Gwadar, Kech, Awaran, Chagi, Kharan, Awaran, Lasbella, Khuzdar, Kalat, Noushki, Mastung, Jhal Magsi, Naseerabad, Sibbi, Kohlu, Dera Bugti, Barkhan, Loralai, Harnai, Qilla Saifullah, Mastung, Ziarat, Shirani, Zhob, Musa Khel and Barkhan from tonight till Friday morning.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the PMD predicted “rain-windstorm/thunderstorm (few heavy, with isolated very heavy falls) with snowfall over high mountains” in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Kohistan, Shangla, Buner and Malakand, Waziristan, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Karak, Khyber, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan and Kurram with occasional gaps from Wednesday night to April 21.
It also said hailstorms were expected at isolated places during the forecast period.
The met office further predicted “rain-wind/thunderstorm (few heavy falls) with snowfall over high mountains” in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche and Shigar. It forecast the same with occasional gaps from April 18 to 22 in Kashmir’s Neelum valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur.
“Rain-wind/thunderstorm (with few heavy falls hailstorm) is expected in Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Khushab, Sargodha, Mianwali, Pakpattan and Sahiwal from April 18 to 21,” the PMD said.
It added the same was expected with occasional gaps from April 18 to 20 in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan, Kot Addu, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad, Khanpur, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar.
In Sindh, “rain-wind/thunderstorm” was forecast in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana, Dadu, Qambar Shahdad Kot, Jamshoro and Sanghar from Wednesday night to Friday morning.
The PMD warned that heavy rainfall may generate flash flooding in local nullahs/streams of Balochistan, especially in Gwadar, Kech, Awaran, Kalat and Khuzdar during the next two days while from April 18-20 in Dir, Swat, Chitral, Kohistan, Manshera, the tributaries of Kabul River, GB, and Kashmir.
It also highlighted the possibility of landslides in upper KP, Murree, Galiyat, Kashmir and GB, which it said may affect vulnerable locations from April 18 to 21.
“Windstorm/hailstorm and lightning may damage standing crops, loose structures like electric poles, vehicles and solar panels, etc during the period,” the met office said, alerting farmers to manage their crops keeping in view the weather conditions.
It advised all authorities concerned to remain “alert” and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation.
The National Highways and Motorway Police also urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel during the forecast period, keeping in mind the PMD’s advisory.
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