Intermittent rains kill 4, injure 9 during last five days in northwestern Pakistan

PESHAWAR: Intermittent rains over the past five days have killed four people and injured nine across Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, a report by the provincial disaster management authority said on Monday.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) last week warned that a strong westerly wave would trigger rains, thunderstorms and snowfall in the upper parts of the country from Feb. 24 to Mar. 1.

“Since Feb. 26, four people have died and nine people have been injured in accidents due to rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” a report by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. 

The report said that the four dead include three men and one woman, while the injured include four children, three women and two men. It said 14 houses in total were affected due to the rains out of which 10 were partially damaged and three were completely damaged. 

“The accidents due to rains occurred in the districts of Haripur, Battagram, Bajaur, Upper and Lower Kohistan, Dir, Hangu, Khyber and Torghar,” the report said. 

The PDMA said it has directed district administrations to provide immediate relief to families affected by the rains and ensure that the best medical facilities are provided to the injured.

“PDMA has directed all district administrations and concerned institutions to utilize all resources to open the highways closed due to rain and snowfall,” the report said. 

Parts of Pakistan last month received rains after a months-long drought severely impacted crops like wheat, a staple food, as well as vital cash crops like potatoes in several regions, according to the Pakistani climate change ministry.

Torrential rains during the monsoon season of 2022 triggered flash floods across the country, with scientists attributing it to climate change impacts. The floods killed over 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth $33 billion on Pakistan, as per official estimates.