PESHAWAR: As many as four people have lost their lives, seven have been injured while 15 houses have been damaged in rain-related incidents in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) during the last 24 hours.
In its report issued on Sunday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that the dead included three children, while three women, three men, and a child were injured in these incidents.
It further said that out of a total 15 houses damaged due to heavy rains, 13 were partially damaged while two were completely destroyed. The report informed that the incidents of walls and roofs collapse were reported from upper areas of KP namely Upper Dir, Lower Chitral, Swat and Buner.
On the other hand, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has ordered the concerned district administrations to provide relief items to the affected families immediately and also ensure the treatment of those injured on a priority basis. The Authority has said it has already distributed relief goods to the affected families. As many as 200 tents have been dispatched to Lower Chitral for the rain victims, it has said, adding that roads, which were closed in the area due to landslide following heavy rains, have now been opened for traffic.
PDMA has said that it is in contact with all district administrations and other concerned departments in order to ensure the provision of aid to the affected areas.
Informing the people that its emergency operation center is functional round the clock, the PDMA has asked the people to contact on its helpline number 1700 in case of an emergency.
Meanwhile, PDMA on Sunday predicted thunderstorms for different parts of Punjab during the next 24 hours.
The PDMA said that Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Sahiwal and Bahawalpur divisions were expected to receive rains.
It further said that heavy rains could result in the flooding of streams of Kohe Suleman mountainous range and other parts of Dera Ghazi Khan, while in landslides in Murree and Galyat.
The Authority said there were chances of hailstorms lashing upper parts of Punjab.
PDMA DG Irfan Ali Kathia advised people to protect themselves from incidents of lightning by taking shelter in safe places.
The DG further said that the people returning home after spending Eid with their loved ones in their native areas may face difficulties due to bad weather. “People returning from Liaquatpur and Bahawalpur to Lahore should especially take precautionary measures,” he said, adding, “In case of an emergency, please contact us on our helpline number 1129.”
