The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued a red alert predicting heavy monsoon rains in most districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from July 14 to 17.
According to the PDM, intermittent rains with strong winds and thundershowers are likely in Dir, Swat, Chitral, Kohistan, Malakand, Shangla, Battagram, Buner, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Waziristan, Orakzai, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Hangu and Kurram districts during this period.
The PDMA has warned that due to heavy rains, there is a risk of flooding in local and rain-fed rivers and streams of Galiat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi and Mardan districts, along with the possibility of landslides and flooding in rivers and streams in mountainous areas.
The PDMA has issued an alert to the district administration to take precautionary measures. Rescue 1122 and relief teams have been directed to remain alert and utilise available resources in advance.
The local administration has also been directed to take steps to control traffic at sensitive places and highways, to ensure cleanliness of rivers and drainage systems to avoid urban flooding, farmers have been instructed to harvest their crops early and store them in safe places, and livestock keepers have also been advised to take steps to protect their livestock.
Those travelling on national and provincial highways have been asked to be careful and take alternative routes, while the public has been requested to take shelter in safe places during wind, hail and thunderstorms.
The PDM has also issued instructions to ensure the availability of emergency services and the readiness of personnel. All institutions have been asked to communicate weather alerts to the public in local languages. The concerned institutions have been instructed to make alternative routes and traffic flow effective.
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