ISLAMABAD: Flash floods triggered by cloudburst have inundated several parts of Pakistan ranging from the Chitral valley in the country’s north to parts of southern Punjab and the mountainous areas of Balochistan.
Chitral was the worst-affected area as rain-triggered floods wreak havoc on the area, washing away the the main bridge linking Chitral to Mastuj sub-division and severing road links from Chitral city to at least 10 union councils.
A rescue operation has been initiated to aid the affected population and an emergency imposed in Chitral as rains continued to pour down with short intervals.
Commandant Chitral Scouts Colonel Naeem Iqbal said that the army and Scouts have been alerted and that relief and rescue operations were underway for the flood-affected people in the Kailash valley.
Meanwhile, several parts of southern Punjab were also at the mercy of rapidly moving flood waves. According to reports, at least 100 villages and settlements have been inundated around Layyah, which faced a medium-level flood on the banks of the River Indus.
Orders were also issued to evacuate several villages of Rajanpur as the nullahs of Koh Suleman over-flooded with rainwater. The Koh Suleman mountain ranges have received torrential rains during the past three to four days.
Meanwhile, officials said that water levels in the River Indus were on the rise.
Abdul Aziz Soomro, the in-charge of the control room at Sukkur Barrage, said that a medium-level flood was passing through Guddu Barrage while a low-level flood was passing through Sukkur Barrage. He said that water levels were expected to rise further in the next 24 hours at Guddu and Sukkur barrages.
