PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority on August 20 said the death toll from the recent flash floods in the province had reached 385, with 182 people suffering injuries due to the natural calamity.
In a statement issued in the provincial capital, the PDMA said Buner district had recorded the highest number of 228 deaths in flood-related incidents, while 41 people were killed in Swabi.
Meanwhile, Swabi deputy commissioner Nasarullah Khan revealed the recovery of all 37 people buried in the debris left behind by a cloudburst in Dalori village and said they all were buried.
He told reporters on Wednesday that 14 more bodies were recovered from flood debris in Dalori on August 20, leading to the completion of the search operation.
Rescue 1122 district emergency officer Mohammad Awais Babar said all 37 bodies, including those of women and children, had been recovered from the debris of the village.
“Eight bodies were recovered on Monday, the day the natural disaster struck the village early in the morning, while 15 were found the next day and 14 from under collapsed houses on Wednesday. With the latest recovery, the search operation has successfully concluded,” he said.
The official said the injured villagers from Dalori were provided free care at hospitals.
He said five bodies were recovered from a nullah, showing they’re swept away by floodwaters after the cloudburst.
Mr Babar said the search operation in Dalori village was carried out by 150 Rescue 1122 workers with the help of Pakistan Army soldiers, civil defence volunteers, members of Al-Khidmat Foundation and people from Gadoon Amazai villages.
DC Nasarullah said after the conclusion of the search operation, the administration would focus on the rehabilitation of calamity-stricken residents.
Meanwhile, local government minister Arshad Ayub said the provincial government was mobilising all available resources to provide relief to the families hit by one of the worst-ever natural catastrophes in the province.
“I am here to assure flood victims that our government is doing its utmost for their rescue and relief,” he told reporters after chairing a high-level meeting at the New Circuit House in Mansehra.
The participants, including public health minister Yar Khan, PTI provincial deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati, MNA Shahzada Gustasab Khan, MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani, DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur, DC Mian Baizad Adil and other officials, reviewed the emergency caused by torrential rains and cloudbursts.
Minister Ayub said heavy machinery had been dispatched to the affected districts on the directives of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
“We are also moving additional manpower and equipment, including excavators and shovels, from relatively safer districts to the worst-hit areas,” he said.
The minister said in Mansehra alone, 27 people lost lives to the disaster, while four schools and 153 houses were destroyed.
“We [the government] stand with the affected families in this critical time. We have released Rs 10 million for relief and rescue operations in Mansehra,” he said.
Mr Ayub announced speedy provision of compensation to the bereaved families.
“For the first time in the province’s history, Rs2 million is being paid to the families, who lost loved ones, without delay. Until now, Rs16 million has been disbursed in Mansehra alone,” he said.
Meanwhile, state minister for climate change Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Kharal visited flood-hit areas in Swat region and said the federal government would extend all possible support to the provincial government for the relief of the affected communities in accordance with the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
She told reporters that flood damage assessments would soon be carried out, while the federal government was formulating a comprehensive policy to address environmental challenges and reduce future risks.
Earlier, the minister visited the flood-affected area of Bangladesh Landikas along with senior officials, who briefed her on the damage caused by floods.
She said Pakistan remained among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing very little to global environmental degradation.
The minister said besides climate change, rapid population growth, encroachments and large-scale deforestation were also major causes of flooding.
“By planting more trees, we can mitigate these impacts. Felling of trees weakens mountains, while floodwaters carry sand, soil and rocks, causing large-scale destruction,” she said.
The minister said the federal government would stand with flood victims in every possible way in the current difficult time.
In the Bajaur tribal district, deputy commissioner Shahid Ali Khan distributed compensation cheques to flood victims.
The cheques, provided by the provincial government, were given away during a special ceremony to the families of 22 people who lost lives in Jibrari and Adam Shagai areas of Salarzai tehsil.
Local PTI MPA Anwar Zeb Khan, Khar tehsil council chairman Haji Said Badshah, Nawagai council chairman Dr Khalilur Rehman, district administration officials and family members of the calamity victims attended the ceremony, where each deceased’s family was awarded Rs 2 million, according to a statement from the deputy commissioner’s office.
Also, Rs200,000 was handed over to those whose houses were destroyed or damaged in rain- and flood-related incidents.
MPA Anwar Zeb Khan and DC Shahid Ali Khan said rehabilitation of infrastructure, including roads, was under way to restore normalcy in the region.
They said the provincial government had decided to provide compensation to the farmers whose crops were affected by the calamity, while efforts were underway to collect data of the damaged crops.
Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025
