Friday, March 29, 2024

Emergency declared in KP as torrential rains wreak havoc across province

Emergency declared in KP as torrential rains wreak havoc across province
March 8, 2020
PESHAWAR (92 News) – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has declared extreme weather emergency as torrential rains wreak havoc across the province on Sunday. At least 22 people have been killed and several injured in rain-related incidents across K-P. In its report, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued on Saturday said at least 57 houses have been caved and majority of deaths have been caused due to house-collapse incidents. In order to provide shelter and food to the citizens during the cold wave, expected to continue for the next seven days, the provincial government invoked power under Section 16(A)(i) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Act 2010 to declare weather emergency from March 7 to 14. During the emergency, the deputy commissioners have been instructed to reactivate temporary Panagah i.e. shelter homes in areas hit by torrential rains, heavy snow and a drop in temperature. Those at the shelter homes will be provided breakfast and dinner, while those who lost their houses will be given cooked food three times a day. The government has authorised “Rs100 for each breakfast and Rs200 for dinner” as fit charge of the “Relief Account with the deputy commissioners”. Met Office forecast more rain with a thunderstorm in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, upper Punjab, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the next 12 hours. The temperature of some major cities recorded this morning: Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan nine degree centigrade, Quetta and Muzaffarabad four, Lahore twelve, Peshawar eleven, Karachi sixteen and Murree two degree centigrade. Islamabad – Peshawar motorway section was closed to all sorts of traffic due to heavy downpour yesterday.