MANSEHRA: The district administration evacuated people from over two dozen houses on a mountainside as huge landslides continued to fall into the Kunhar River on Monday, further blocking its way and threatening the nearby human settlements and the Mahandri Bazaar.

A massive landslide on Sunday had fallen into the river, partially blocking the water flow.

“Three houses in the mountainside Lassan Delo village have been damaged due to the landslides and inmates of 25 others have been evacuated for their safety,” Balakot assistant commissioner Basharat Bibi told reporters.

She said landmass from the mountain continued to roll down into the Kunhar River. “The rising water level in the river due to blockage caused by landslides has diverted its course towards nearby human settlements, the Mahandri Bazaar and Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road.”

Official says river being diverted from mountain base to avoid landslides

It is to mention here that a flash flood in the Manor Stream had brought big boulders into the Kunhar River on July 30, blocking its way and creating an artificial lake.

Ms Basharat said machinery had been moved to divert the river course away from the base of the mountain as rising water level was causing land erosion, leading to landslides.

“The irrigation department should ensure an early clearance of the blockage as the water level in the artificial lake is rising, threatening the residential areas and commercial centres,” Mushtaq Khan, former nazim of Mahandri, told reporters.

He said heavy machines owned by a Chinese company executing a hydropower project in the area should be used to divert the watercourseaway from the mountain base and clearing the blockage.

Tourism activities in Kaghan Valley and traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan remained suspended from July 30 to August 13 after the central bridge on the MNJ Road was swept away by swollen Manor Stream in Mahandri area.

CLEANLINESS DRIVE: The Oghi tehsil administration on Monday launched a cleanliness drive and also organised an awareness walk to sensitise people to the hazards caused by pollution in their lives.

The participants of the walk marched through different roads and converged outside the TMA offices.

The walk was led by assistant commissioner Fahad Zia and tehsil municipal officer Amir Shahzad.

Mr Shahzad told reporters that TMA Oghi had launched the cleanliness drive on the directives of the chief minister. “We have not only disposed of garbage dumps in far-off parts of the tehsil but also held awareness sessions with citizens and students,” he said.

He said a tree plantation drive was also going on in the tehsil, and appealed to the citizens to extend their help to TMA in keeping Oghi clean and green.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024