Nowshera at high risk, people told to evacuate before major flood

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has imposed a “flood emergency” in Nowshera district after the flood forecasting division of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that a 300,000 cusec flood wave would pass through the district during the next 24 hours.

On Friday, the deputy commissioner told the local population to evacuate the low-lying areas of the flood during the daylight as evacuation at the night would prove difficult.

The DC officer warned that even the Grand Trunk (GT) Road face the risk of being submerged in four feet deep water.

All the private and public sector educational institutions have been closed in the district whereas the control of hospitals, private buildings and vehicles has been given to the district administration for the next two days to avoid any untoward situation. They will be responsible for shifting vulnerable people to safer places in the face of a flood emergency.

A Nowshera administration official said the water in River Kabul continued to rise due to nonstop rainfall. The water flow in the river was recorded at 120,000 cusec earlier in the afternoon, fearing it to rise to 270,000 cusec later in the evening.