PESHAWAR:
A report by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Irrigation Department has revealed that the flow of the Khwazakhela River surged dramatically by 71,044 cusecs — from 6,738 to 77,782 cusecs — within a few hours on June 27. The sudden rise left a family stranded on the riverbed with no opportunity to return to safety.
According to the report, the Irrigation Department issued an early warning at 8:41 am, alerting all relevant departments. Deputy commissioners of Swat, Charsadda, and Nowshera were informed in advance, and regular updates were shared via WhatsApp. A formal flood alert was issued at 10:30 am.
The department claimed it repeatedly sent alerts to DC Swat, PDMA Swat, ADC Relief, and other relevant officials. The tourists reportedly entered the middle of the Khwazakhela River when the water level was stable, but became trapped as it began to rise. They waited for the water to recede, but the level continued to increase rapidly.
The report recommended equipping Rescue 1122 with flood rescue tools and urged hotel owners to restrict tourist movement to safe areas. It also called on the local administration to develop a comprehensive plan to manage tourist movement and suggested the installation of telemetry gauges in Madian and Kalam for better flood monitoring.
The report was submitted to provincial inspection team. Meanwhile, a citizen has approached the Peshawar High Court for an inquiry into the tragic River Swat incident and a separate independent probe into the use of Rescue 1122 vehicles and resources for political purposes.
Petitioner Amir Alam filed the petition through Babar Khan Yosufzai Advocate. The petitioner made K-P CM, chief secretary, Police IG, and Rescue 1122 DG as respondents.
The petition submitted that as many as 17 persons of a family from Punjab were swept away in the River Swat on June 27, as Rescue 1122 and other departments failed to take any prompt action to salvage them.
