Pakistan floods: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa imposes rain emergency; 193 feared dead

Pakistan's province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is witnessing severe floods amid torrential rains which has damaged several buildings.

Pic Credit: IANS

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan]: Due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government imposed a rain emergency in many districts including Swat on Friday. The torrential rains have wreaked havoc in numerous parts of the province, killing at least 193 people, reported the Express Tribune. The rain emergency which has been imposed with immediate effect will remain in place till August 30.

This comes as Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has warned of "high level of floods" in tributaries of the Swat River. Apart from Swat, the flash floods have resulted in widespread devastation in Shangla, Mingora, Kohistan, DI Khan, Kalam valley Hazara division and other areas of the province. According to Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) at least 193 people have died and 251 injured due to rains and floods in K-P during the ongoing monsoon rains, reported the Express Tribune.

Moreover, 19,748 homes, hotels and several buildings have been damaged in the province due to flash floods, said the PDMA.The heavy rains and floods also left at least 959 animals dead across the province in recent times.

In order to deal with the ongoing destruction caused by heavy downpours, the PDMA has issued a letter to the district administrations of Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar, instructing them to be on alert and take precautionary measures. Apparently, the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan visited the flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday to oversee the situation.

In the wake of massive floods across Pakistan, the Shehbaz Sharif government has launched an international appeal seeking funds for relief and rehabilitation of flood-hit people across the country. This decision to reach out to the world was made on Tuesday during an emergency meeting to reassess the damage caused by floods and to apprise donors of the magnitude of the crisis.

Pakistan Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman admitted Pakistan was not able to deal with the flood situation on its own. "Torrential rains unprecedented in Sindh right now, Balochistan, DG Khan also at risk. No question of the provinces or Islamabad being able to cope with this magnitude of climate catastrophe on their own. Lives are at risk, and thousands are homeless. International partners need to mobilise assistance," she tweeted.

The minister said it is a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented monsoon proportions.Rehman added the provincial and federal governments were incapable of dealing with the situation given the magnitude of the disaster and urged international partners to mobilise assistance. This unprecedented emergency situation comes amid the rising political tension in the country over a terrorism case filed against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.