PESHAWAR, Aug 4: Flash floods on Monday wreaked havoc in different parts of the provincial metropolis owing to lack of an effective flood warning system and growing encroachments along river banks and in the beds of natural watercourses.

Official sources said the federal flood commission had yet to provide radar and telemetry systems to the NWFP to effectively monitor rivers and weather. They said the federal government had installed a radar system in Chirat and a telemetry system in Nowshera, but they did not facilitate the provincial flood warning centre in getting information about rains and floods.

“Radar system in Chirat facilitates only Punjab and some parts of the Peshawar valley, but it does not cover the entire NWFP and its adjacent tribal area,” said an official. He said the NWFP Hydrology and Irrigation Division had no system to monitor flow of water in natural watercourses and rivers entering from Afghanistan.

“The province needs its own radar and telemetry systems to cover rivers originated in upper parts of the province and those entering from Afghanistan,” he said, adding that apart from Chirat, radar systems should be installed at three sites; Kohat Top, Malakand Top and Arandu in the Chitral district. He said the telemetry system installed in Nowshera could only monitor downstream of the river Kabul.

Officials said massive encroachment was one of the major reasons causing floods every year in Peshawar and other parts of the province.

“Ninety-nine per cent floods are caused by encroachment in the beds of watercourses and along river banks,” said an official of the irrigation department.

He said both public and private sectors had encroached upon the river banks and watercourses across the province. Government departments had built schools, health centres and police stations in the beds of watercourses, blocking the flow of water, he said.

The irrigation department had issued directives to departments concerned and district governments in the province to launch a drive against encroachments last year, but no action has been taken so far.

In the Nasir Bagh area gushing water razed dozens of houses built in the bed of the Araban watercourse originated in the Khyber tribal region. The entire route of the watercourse was blocked by houses, this correspondent observed during a visit to the area.

Similarly, the City Development and Municipal Department, which is supposed to take action against encroachers, has occupied land along the bank of Sur Khwar opposite Hayatabad Township. Private landowners have also occupied land and built residential colonies.

Inayet Hussain, the head of an affected family at Nasir Bagh, admitted that he had blocked the channel bed by constructing the house. He said houses of five families built in the bed of the watercourse had been washed away by flash floods. Residents complained that the government had not informed them timely.

The floods destroyed many houses, uprooted trees and destroyed standing crops in Regi, Nasir Bagh, Bacha Gul Garhi and other areas. Four bridges were also destroyed. Massive encroachments have blocked drains on the outskirts of the city, including Nallah Budhni where total discharge was recorded at 6,708 cusecs.

Our Correspondent adds from Kohat: An elderly woman, Kamal Begum, died and her son was injured when the roof of their house in the Alizai area collapsed and 80 houses were swept away as flash floods played havoc in three villages in the outskirt of the Kohat city on Sunday night.

People were asleep when water started entering their houses. A family that woke up and saw the water coming fired warning shots, a sign of danger or attack in the Pakhtun society, which saved many precious lives.

Kutcha houses already weakened by four days of rain were washed away. The newly-built main road and streets were also swept away.

The floods destroyed standing crops, uprooted electricity pylons and trees as people fled their homes midnight to save their lives.

The damaged villages included Alizai, Khadizai, Bilitang, Togh Bala, Kharmatu and the estimated loss is said to be above Rs2 billion.