PESHAWAR: Five people were killed and 23 injured in rain-related incidents in Mardan, Peshawar, South Waziristan and Khyber districts on Friday and Saturday.

Officials of the Rescue 1122 service said the house collapse incidents were reported in Peshawar’s Phandu, Bahadur Killay, Mattani and Banamri areas killing a man and injuring 16 people.

They said four people suffered injuries after the roof of their house collapsed on them in Phandu area, while similar incidents injured six people in Bahadur Killay and five in Mattani area.

The officials said the collapse of a house roof injured two people in Banamri area with one of them dying in the hospital.

Snowfall was also reported

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said two children were killed and two adults were injured in Mardan after the roof of their house caved in.

It added that a similar incident killed another man and injured five people in the South Waziristan tribal district.

According to the PDMA, a woman lost life and several houses were damaged in rain-related incidents in parts of Khyber tribal district on Friday.

The roof of a house room collapsed due to heavy rain in Zarkaany Bushkhel area of Tirah valley. Other members of the family remained safe in the incident.

Also, a house collapsed in Bar Kali, Kam Shalman, during the heavy rain. However, no damage to public life was reported.

The downpour damaged a house in Jamrud area. No one was hurt in the incident.

Light snow and heavy rain fell in upper parts of Hazara division, turning the weather cold.

The rain began in low-lying parts of Mansehra, Torghar, Upper and Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts early morning and continued all through the day intermittently. The cold weather prompted the people to resume using warm clothes.

In Swabi district’s Turlandi village, a causeway was washed away by floodwater.

The residents insisted that the causeway was built under a project, which included the widening of the Turkandi-Kalodher Roadand the construction of a bridge on Turlandi Badri nullah, but the contractor didn’t execute the project’s parts other than the causeway.

They said they requested the contractor not to demolish the old bridge until the construction of the new but he ignored the request to the misery of the local population.

Former PTI MPA Zeenat Bibi said Rs87 million worth of bridge construction and road widening were part of the District Development Plan but the contractor put up a causeway only.

She said the causeway’s destruction by floodwater would trouble residents.

“I approached the anti-corruption establishment, local government secretary, Swabi deputy commissioner and National Accountability Bureau for action against the contractor, but to no avail,” she said.

The former lawmaker claimed that the contractor withdrew Rs7.5 million released funds but didn’t deposit security at the start of work on the project.

Meanwhile, the Met Department said Ghalanai recorded 59mm of rainfall,Bannu 57, Landi Kotal 51, Peshawar 26, Cherat 26, Takhtbhai 22, Bajaur 21, Timergara 19, Parachinar 15, Buner 9, Kakul 8, Dera Ismail Khan 7, Malamjabba 4 and Mirkhani 1.

It forecast a cloudy-partly cloudyweather for most districts of the province on Sunday and said Isolated rain along with thunderstorm and strong winds was likely to fall in Chitral, Lower and UpperDir,Malakand, Buner, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Torghar, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Hangu, Kurram, Kohat and Bannu districts today (Sunday).

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2023