The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued an alert about heavy rains and snowfall in different parts of the province from Sunday (today) till Tuesday.
A letter in this connection has been sent by PDMA to all the deputy commissioners of the province to take precautionary measures to avert any human and material loss. The rains can cause flash floods and landsliding in the hilly areas.
Earlier on Tuesday last, the Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement (RRS) Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared an ‘extreme cold weather emergency’ in the province as rain and snowfall lashed many districts a couple of days ago. As a cold wave persists in Hazara and several other parts of the province, Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad artery and several link roads have been blocked by snowfall and landslides triggered by rains.
“Since an extraordinary cold wave has hit whole of the province and is likely to continue; therefore, in exercise of powers conferred under Section 16(A) (1) of National Disaster Management (KP) Act 2010, the RRS department hereby declare ‘extreme cold weather emergency’ in whole of KP w.e.f. December 27, 2020, till further orders,” said the RRS department its notification.
It said that during emergency the deputy commissioners across the province were authorised to establish/reactivate temporary shelters (panagahs) where the needy could be provided two-time cooked food (breakfast and dinner) and shelter for the night.
The notification said that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) should provide from its central storage (HRF Jalozai) tents, beddings, and/or any other required article available for the purposes of temporary shelters to the districts in reasonable quantities. It said in case the DCs had such articles in their storage they were authorised to utilise the same for temporary shelters in reasonable quantity. It said the people whose houses had been damaged due to extreme weather would also be provided cooked food for three times a day.
