Photo: http://www.samaa.tv/

At least 43 people, including eight security officials, have reportedly died after the westerly wave of monsoon rains entered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan late on Saturday night. The district of Chitral in this northern part of KPK has so far been the worst hit by the flash floods that followed soon after the rains.

As many as 17 people are reported missing in Ursoon Village of Chitral while many more have been injured as clouds of water burst into the area.

The continuing heavy rainfall destroyed around 30 houses in villages near the Pak-Afghan border.

Monsoon rains in Pakistan began late Saturday and continued to shower for hours, with hard-hitting rain covering the KPK province the most. KPK has been most affected by monsoon flooding in Pakistan in the recent years.

Pervez Khattak, Chief Minister of KPK Province, declared red alert in the flood hit areas of Chitral and has announced monetary compensation for the flood affected families.

Community World Service Asia is currently monitoring the situation. The organization’s emergency response team is ready and will start emergency relief activities if required.

Contacts:
Muhammad Fazal
Associate Director
Emergencies/DRR/Climate Change
Email: fazil.sardar@communitryworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 332 5586134

Palwashay Arbab
Head of Communications
Email: palwashay.arbab@communityworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 42 3586 5338

Sources:
www.tribune.com.pk
www.samaa.tv

Photo Courtesy: Focus

Heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods in different parts of the north-west district of Chitral in KPK, Pakistan. Two people including a woman and a girl have been reported missing since the floods. Thirty shops and dozens of bridges have been washed away by the gushing waters of a flood stream in various parts of the district. The rain started pouring early in the morning and lashed the district for a continuous half-an-hour, causing a powerful flash flood. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), around 100 villages have been affected, including those in Bumboret, Ayun, Birir, Shali, Shughur, Khairabad, Milp and Dorosh.

The meteorological department said the rain hit mountainous areas which caused the floods in low-lying parts of the district. The floods washed away roads within the district, including Peshawar-Chitral Road near Broz Gol area. There is no land route connecting Chitral city to the rest of Malakand Agency. Embankments at vulnerable points are required to protect communities from overflow of river and its tributaries in the affected areas.

A sizeable portion of population has been cut off which necessitates immediate restoration of roads and bridges. The floods have also affected the WAPDA house in the area which has resulted in the disconnection of the power supply from Inji Grid Station and Ayun Hydel Power Station, plummeting most parts of the district into darkness.

Meanwhile, officials warned that water levels in the River Indus were on the rise. According to sources Abdul Aziz Soomro, the in-charge of the control room at Sukkur Barrage, said that a medium-level flood was passing through Guddu Barrage while a low-level flood was passing through Sukkur Barrage. He said that water levels are expected to rise further in the next 24 hours at Guddu and Sukkur barrages.

Community World Service Asia is continuously monitoring the situation and its emergency response teams are ready to start emergency response activities if required. To view the contingency plan for emergency response, click here to download Monsoon Contingency Plan.

Contacts:

Allan A. Calma
Deputy Director
Disaster Management Program
Email: allan.calma@communityworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 301 5801621

Muhammad Fazal
Associate Director
Emergencies/DRR/Climate Change
Email: fazil.sardar@communitryworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 332 5586134

Palwashay Arbab
Senior Communications Officer
Email: palwashay.arbab@communityworldservice.asia
Cell: +92 42 3586 5338

Sources:
www.tribune.com.pk
www.geo.tv
www.reliefweb.int