PESHAWAR – Rescue 1122 issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas in Peshawar along the Budhni nullah after several neighbourhoods were inundated due to heavy rains on Saturday. The Budhni nullah recorded mid-level flooding after heavy rains, according to spokesman for Rescue 1122 Bilal Ahmad Faizi, who confirmed that at least 120 people were rescued from the inundated areas.
Rescue 1122 teams worked in Safia Homes, Warsak Road, Shaheen Housing, Budhni Pul, Sardar Colony, Board Bazaar, Bara Pul, and Umar Gul Road areas to drain rainwater. The flood advisory was issued for areas close to the nullah and low-lying areas near the Kabul River.
Rescue 1122 reported that the Budhni nullah had a “mid-level” flood with a water discharge of 12,729 cusecs, while the Kabul River in Nowshera reported a low-level flood at 62,200 cusecs water discharge.
Casualties and Damage Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Four people were killed and at least 50 houses were damaged in rain-related incidents in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber tribal district on Friday and Saturday. Rescue officials said three people, including a father and his son, lost their lives when a car they were travelling in was washed away by flash floods in Walikhel locality on Saturday morning.
Rescue workers recovered the bodies from the rainwater stream in Ali Masjid area. The deceased included Fazal Mohammad, his young son Niaz Mohammad, and relative Qadoos Khan. A minor boy was killed when the roof of a house collapsed at midnight in the Alacha area.
Officials reported wall and house collapses in Khugakhel, Peerokhel, Zakhakhel, Meerdadkhel, and parts of Jamrud tehsil.
Roof Collapse in Bannu
A woman and two children were injured in a roof collapse incident in the Lora Pul area of Miryan tehsil in Bannu district due to heavy rain. Residents and Rescue 1122 teams launched a rescue operation and recovered the three from under the debris. The injured woman was provided first aid and shifted to the district headquarters hospital, while the condition of both children is reported to be critical.
Rescue 1122 sent teams to the nearby flooded Khani Kla area to shift stranded nomadic families to safety.
Havoc in Mohmand District
Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds wreaked havoc in parts of Mohmand district overnight, leaving six people injured, destroying homes, and killing livestock. A room collapsed in the Kamali Wazir Dag area of Haleemzai tehsil in Upper Mohmand district, injuring three women and three girls.
The downpour also caused significant livestock losses in multiple areas. In Khweizai tehsil’s Mazrina village, a veranda caved in, killing 21 goats and sheep. In Pandiali tehsil’s Yakh Dhund Tamanzai area, two sheep were killed after a room collapsed. According to the district administration, widespread damage has been reported in several tehsils.
Traffic Disruption in Dera Ismail Khan
Heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds, reduced temperatures and caused widespread traffic disruption in Dera Ismail Khan city and its adjoining areas on Friday night. Strong winds uprooted trees and disrupted electric supply in multiple areas, suspending power supply.
In the Sheikh Yousaf Adda area, the roof of a building collapsed, burying eight vehicles under debris. A solar power system was also damaged. Uprooted trees fell onto roads, disrupting traffic, while power infrastructure damage led to prolonged outages in several feeders.
A landslide blocked a key road in Darazinda tehsil, halting traffic and stranding travellers for hours. Heavy hailstorm was reported in the Sardariwala Chashma area, raising concerns among farmers about potential damage to standing crops.
Snowfall in Hazara Division
Upper parts of Hazara Division received heavy snowfall after a gap of over a month, causing severe cold across the region. “Our area is in the grip of intense cold following snowfall after over a month,” a resident of Lower Kaghan Valley told reporters in Balakot.
The snowfall, which started in the early hours in Kaghan Valley, Manoor Valley, Siren and Konsh valleys in Mansehra, as well as Spat and Kandia valleys in Kohistan, continued intermittently throughout the day. Rain also lashed Mansehra, Torghar, Upper and Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas districts, triggering landslides. Snowfall and landslides blocked link roads connecting dozens of villages to main highways in high-altitude areas.
Flooding in Lakki Marwat and Karak
In Lakki Marwat district, several low-lying areas were inundated due to torrential rains, prompting the district administration to mobilize rescue services. Heavy rain caused high flooding in the River Gambila near Lakki city, inundating houses in the Baghban and Khoidadkhel localities. Residents said floodwater entered their houses, forcing them to shift to safer places.
A Rescue 1122 official confirmed that houses were evacuated in inundated areas, with residents shifted to safer places. Emergency staff helped move valuables from submerged houses to safety.
In the Ghundi Mirankhel area of Karak district, two people—a 45-year-old woman and a five-year-old boy—were injured when the roof of their house collapsed due to torrential rains.
Infrastructure Damage
Torrential rain and flash flooding disrupted traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab via the Lakki-Darra Tang section of Bannu-Mianwali Road. Rescue 1122 set up a point near Gambila Bridge in Lakki city for prompt response to any emergency.
In Kurram tribal district, a road adjacent to the Samir Basto Bridge in the Kurram River was washed away by floodwaters, leaving thousands of residents without a road connection. A young man was wounded as heavy downpour damaged several houses and infrastructure in Bajaur tribal district, with Rescue 1122 reporting that Ajab Gul, 16, was injured when the roof of his house collapsed in the Mena area of Lowi Mamund tehsil.
Analysis: A Region Under Water
The widespread flooding and rain-related damage across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa highlight the vulnerability of the province’s infrastructure to extreme weather events. With at least four confirmed deaths, dozens of houses damaged, and hundreds of people displaced, the human toll is significant.
The rescue of 120 people in Peshawar alone demonstrates the scale of the emergency response required. Rescue 1122 teams have been working around the clock, but the extent of damage across multiple districts—from Peshawar to Kurram, from Dera Ismail Khan to Bajaur—suggests that recovery will take time.
The combination of flash floods, roof collapses, landslides, and infrastructure damage has left communities across the province struggling. For farmers, the hailstorm in Sardariwala Chashma threatens crops at a critical time. For residents of flooded areas, the immediate concern is safety; the long-term concern is recovery.
As authorities work to assess the full extent of the damage and begin relief operations, the focus remains on preventing further loss of life. But for the families who lost loved ones, and for the thousands whose homes have been damaged, the rains have brought tragedy—and the long, difficult process of rebuilding lies ahead.
