Peshawar:
An investigative report from the Malakand Commissioner about the tragic incident in the Swat River has been submitted to the provincial inspection team on Thursday. The report sheds light on the circumstances of the event that required more lives.
Last week, flash flooders are triggered by a sudden rise in the SWAT River and other streams in the district of heavy monsoon rains that required at least 12 people’s lives.
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the level of flooding as “very high,” while officials said dozens of people were caught as authorities encrypted to deal with the wake of two days of relentless rainfall.
According to the study, construction work along the river had redirected the water flow, resulting in the lower water level at the scene of the accident. This reduction in the water level caused tourists to enter the river, unaware of the potential dangers.
The report revealed that heavy rainfall caused the water level in the SWAT River to rise to 77,782 CUSSCS. The preliminary conclusions indicate that 17 tourists were caught in the flood, with 10 originating from Sialkot, six from Marran and a local resident.
Read more: Suddenly Water Wave Caighted Swat Tragedy
The affected tourists arrived at a local hotel at. 8:31 and went into the river an hour later at. 9:31. The hotel’s security guard tried to stop them, but the group bypassed the hotel’s main entrance and went in from behind. Just 14 minutes later, at. 9:45, got rising water level for a rescue call.
Authorities reached the place at. 10:05, 20 minutes after the emergency call. All relevant departments had been warned about the risk of flooding, with several weather warnings issued by concerned agencies.
Emergency staff had been termed to action in the event of an emergency. Before the flood, a decision had already been made to tackle intervention along the riverbank. On June 2, section 144 was imposed in the Malakand division for a month.
The report noted that section 144 on June 24 was expanded to ban swimming and boating in the Swat River. Of the 17 trapped tourists, four were rescued, 12 organs were recovered, and search efforts for a person are still underway.
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The report also revealed that 75 people were swept away in different parts of SWAT. As a result, several key officials, including DC, AC and AC for Babuzai and Khwazakhela, were suspended. District Emergency Officer and Tehsil Municipal Officer for SWAT was also relieved by their duties.
In the wake of the tragedy, June 28, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary visited the site and introduced a complete ban on all mining activities.
Meanwhile, a report from the KP art irrigation department previously revealed that the flow of the Khwazakhela River increased dramatically by 71,044 CUSSCS – from 6,738 to 77,782 CUSERCS – within hours of June 27. The sudden climb left a family stranded on the river without the opportunity to return to security.
According to the report, the irrigation department issued an early warning at. 08.41 and warned all relevant departments. Deputy Commissioners for SWAT, Charsadda and Nowshera were informed in advance and regular updates were shared via WhatsApp. A formal flood alert was issued at. 10.30pm.
The department claimed that it repeatedly sent warnings to SWAT DC, PDMA, ADC relief and other relevant officials. The tourists allegedly went into the middle of the Khwazakhela river when the water level was stable but was caught as it began to rise. They waited for the water to disappear, but the level continued to rise rapidly.
The report recommended to equip rescue 1122 with flood rescue tools and encouraged hotel owners to limit the tourist movement to safe areas. It also called on the local administration to develop a comprehensive plan to control the tourist movement and suggested the installation of telemetry meters in Madian and Kalam for better flood monitoring.
