Floods continue to ravage KP: casualties, livestock losses, disease reported

PESHAWAR: A child lost their life and two others, including another child and a woman, were injured in separate rain-related incidents across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

In addition to human casualties, the province is facing extensive losses in livestock and infrastructure due to recent flooding. The Livestock Department has released an initial report estimating damage to livestock and fodder at over Rs 1.57 billion.

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According to the report, more than 5,000 cattle and 10,000 chickens perished in the floods. A total of 5,328 animals died in seven districts, including 1,091 goats, 1,682 calves, 1,089 cows, 822 buffaloes, and 544 sheep. The poultry sector was also severely hit, with 9,000 chickens killed in Buner alone, and an additional 4,435 domestic chickens lost in Buner, Bajaur, and Swat.

The floods also damaged 336 animal shelters in districts including Peshawar, Mansehra, Shangla, Buner, and Swat. Fodder worth more than Rs 286 million was spoiled, further worsening the impact on rural livelihoods.

DENGUE CASES SURGE

Meanwhile, the Health Department has also reported a rise in dengue cases following the floods. In the past 24 hours, 82 new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of reported infections in the province to 398. Of these, 90 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals, while 308 have recovered.

Charsadda has recorded the highest number of dengue cases at 220, followed by Haripur with 32 cases and Mansehra with 30.

TODAY’S WEATHER

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that rain is expected in Peshawar and surrounding areas today (Sunday). The temperature is likely to rise to 36 degrees Celsius, while the humidity level in the city has been recorded at 88 percent.

The department has also predicted rain in most districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the next week. This series of rains is expected to continue until August 27, posing risk of even more flooding.

Rain with strong winds and thundershowers are also predicted for Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Mohmand, Kohat, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Waziristan, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. Upper districts will also likely get heavy rain today.