PESHAWAR: Three persons were killed and eight others were injured in rain-related incidents in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Two persons were killed when wall of their house collapsed in Manshera while a woman was killed and six others were injured in Buner due to roof collapse. Separately, two other people were injured in Mardan due to roof collapse.

In Manshera, two siblings were killed when a wall of their stone-made house collapsed amid heavy rain in Mundagucha Kalas Kori area in the small hours of Monday.

The family of Abdul Razzaq was asleep when a wall of their room collapsed due to heavy rain and Mohammad Zafran, 12, and his sister Lishba Bibi, 8, were buried under the rubble.

The family members and locals retrieved both of them in injured condition and shifted them to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced them dead.

PDMA releases Rs150 million to districts for addressing contingencies during monsoon

The upper parts of Hazara division received heavy downpour. The rain, followed by thunder and windstorms, started at about 10pm in Mansehra, Torghar and Kohistan districts and continued intermittently the entire night and early morning turning the weather pleasant.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy Abdul Razzaq drowned in a local stream in Dilbori area of the district. The son of Maulana Abdul Bahis, the head of a local seminary, was taking a bath in the stream when he suddenly slipped into the deep water and drowned.

Locals fished his body from the stream and handed it over to his family. A large number of people from different walks of life attended his funeral prayer.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed that a woman was killed and six people were injured in a roof collapse incident in Takhtaband area of Buner district. The injured included five children -- three boys and two girls -- and an adult. They were shifted to Daggar hospital for treatment.

In another incident, the roof of a house collapsed in Gagra tehsil due to heavy rain. The incident caused no harm to human life.

Another roof collapse incident in Kalpani area of Mardan left a woman and her child injured.

Met department said that Takhtabai received 81 millimetre rain while Rispalpur area of Nowshera received 45 millimetre rain. Besides, Bannu recorded 41 millimetre rain, Balakot 36mm, Peshawar 22mm, Bajaur 19mm, Kohat 15mm, Cherat 11mm, Pattan 10mm, Dir eight, Buner four, Saidu Sharif three and Dera Ismail Khan three millimetre rain.

Met department predicted windstorm, thunderstorm and rain in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan, Shangla, Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Orakzai, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and North and South Waziristan districts.

It said that dust storm and heavy rainfall could cause damage to loose infrastructures like electric poles, solar panels and signboards etc in the province. Heavy rain may cause urban flooding in low lying areas of Peshawar and Mardan and may trigger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Kurram and Khyber districts.

“All relevant authorities are advised to remain Alert during the forecast period,” said PDMA.

Met department predicted hot, humid and cloudy weather in most districts of the province for today (Tuesday).

It said that windstorm, thunderstorm and rain with isolated heavy falls was likely in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, Kohistan, Shangla, Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Khyber, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Orakzai, Kurram, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, North and South Waziristan districts.

In a related development, PDMA on Monday released Rs150 million emergency funds to address monsoon-related contingencies.

According to a statement, the funds have been released on the directives of chief secretary to facilitate district administrations.

The statement quoted the secretary of relief, rehabilitation and settlement department, Abdul Basit, as saying that Rs40 million was released to Bannu district, Rs30 million to Buner, Rs20 million each to Chitral Lower and Lakki Marwat, Rs15 million to Kohat, Rs10 million each to Hangu and Dir Upper and Rs5 million to Kohistan Lower district.

PDMA has also already released relief funds to other districts.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2023