Flash floods continue to batter Kaghan, Manor valleys

Published August 3, 2024
PEople gather in Mahandri area on Friday where a bridge was washed away earlier this week. — Dawn
PEople gather in Mahandri area on Friday where a bridge was washed away earlier this week. — Dawn

MANSEHRA: Rains and flash floods continued to batter Kaghan and Manor valleys on Friday as torrents in the Mahandri area swept away eight more shops.

The gushing waters of Manor stream brought heavy boulders with them, intercepting Kunhar River’s flow and creating a lake in the Mahandri area, where over 20 shops have so far been swept away by floodwaters.

“If the district administration fails to clear the blockage in Kunhar River till morning (Saturday), the lake could burst triggering more human and financial losses downstream,” Shakeel Jani, a local resident, said.

The affected people of Manor Valley also protested against the delay in the reconstruction of the destroyed main bridge on the Manor stream when chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry visited the area along with Mansehra deputy commissioner Adnan Khan Bittani and other officials.

They raised slogans against the district administration, the National Highway Authority and Kaghan Development Authority, and demanded that the Pak Army intervene and rebuild the bridge at the stream and rescue the families still stranded in the area.

“Our families have been without food and other necessities since natural calamity hit the area four days ago, but government officials are only making claims of reopening the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road ,” a protester said.

Mr Chaudhry, who faced an embarrassing situation in Mahandri area earlier in the day, directed the National Highway Authority and the district administration to ensure early reopening of the MNJ Road.

“Over 85 per cent of the stranded visitors have already been evacuated and dispatched to their homes and rehabilitation of damaged roads and electricity infrastructure in Manor Valley is underway,” DC Mr Bittani told the chief secretary.

Meanwhile, tourist families stranded in Naran, the commercial hub of Kaghan Valley, left for their respective destinations across the country in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles via the Karakoram Highway.

“The district administration had issued a Mayday call and warned tourists to leave Naran as more floods and rains could cut off the entire Kaghan Valley with rest of the country,” Saifullah Khan Lughmani, a visitor, who got stranded in Naran, said.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...