Peshawar:
An investigation report by the Malakand Commissioner at the Tragic Incident of Swat River was submitted on Thursday to the provincial inspection team. The report highlights the circumstances surrounding the event that has made several lives.
Last week, the sudden floods triggered by a sudden thrust in the Swat river and other district rivers after heavy monsoon rains cost the lives of at least 12 people.
The provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) described the level of flooding as “very high”, while officials said that dozens of people were trapped while the authorities rushed to cope with the consequences of two days of relentless inclination.
According to the survey, construction works along the river had diverted the flow of water, causing lower water levels on the accident site. This reduction in water level has led tourists to enter the river, ignoring potential dangers.
The report revealed that strong precipitation brought the water level to Swat River at 77,782 Cuses. The preliminary results indicate that 17 tourists were trapped in the flood, with 10 from Sialkot, six from Mardan and a local resident.
Find out more: A sudden increase in water caused a swat tragedy
The affected tourists arrived in a local hotel at 8:31 a.m. and entered the river an hour later at 9:31 a.m.. The hotel security goalkeeper tried to stop them, but the group bypassed the hotel’s front entrance and entered the rear. Barely 14 minutes later, at 9:45 a.m., the increase in water levels caused a rescue call.
The authorities reached the site at 10:05 a.m., 20 minutes after the distress call. All relevant services had been alerted to the risk of flooding, with several weather warnings issued by the agencies concerned.
Emergency staff had been pre-designed for action in an emergency. Before the flood, a decision had already been made to tackle the encroachments along the shore. On June 2, article 144 was imposed in the Malakand division for a month.
The report noted that on June 24, article 144 was extended to prohibit swimming and navigation of pleasure to Swat River. Of the 17 tourists trapped, four were rescued, 12 bodies were recovered and research efforts for a person are still underway.
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The report also revealed that 75 people were swept away in various parts of Swat. Consequently, several key officials, including DC, ADC and AC of Babuzai and Khwazakhela, were suspended. The district emergency officer and Tehsil de SWAT municipal officer were also relieved of their functions.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, on June 28, the chief secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa visited the site and imposed a complete ban on all mining activities.
Meanwhile, a report by the KP irrigation department revealed earlier than the Flow of the Khwazakhela River had increased spectacularly from 71,044 Cuses – from 6,738 to 77,782 Cuses – in a few hours on June 27. The sudden ascent left a family blocked on the river bed without any possibility of returning to safety.
According to the report, the irrigation service issued an early warning at 8:41 a.m., alerting all the departments concerned. The assistant commissioners of Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera were informed in advance, and the regular updates were shared via WhatsApp. An official flood alert was issued at 10:30 am.
The ministry said it had sent alerts to SWAT DC, PDMA, Adc Relief and other officials concerned. Tourists would have entered the Khwazakhela river when the water level was stable, but found herself trapped while it was starting to increase. They waited for the water to retreat, but the level continued to increase quickly.
The report recommended that the flooding tools are equipped 1122 rescue and exhorted hotel owners to restrict tourist movements in safe areas. He also called on the local administration to develop a full plan to manage tourist movements and suggested the installation of telemetry gauges in Maddien and Kalam for better surveillance of floods.
