Attock is witnessing the biggest flood it has seen in a 100 years as a flood of over 270,000 cusecs passed through it. People are fleeing Nowshera Kalan after the collapse of a safety embankment built on the Kabul River where a heavy flood of 300,000 cusecs flows through the region on Saturday. The raging flood has put thousands of residents of the valley at risk. On Saturday morning, Attock saw the impact of around 418,000 cusecs of flood waters being released from the Tarbela dam. And while the government is trying to control the flow of flood waters in the Kabul River at Warsak, a flood of over 300,000 passed through Nowshera and a flood of 270,000 is passing through Attock with the water levels expected to rise. While the government has been trying to evacuate people from the region, many people fled on a self-help basis. Raging flood waters in the Kabul River have already submerged funeral homes, houses and schools in the district, while several small dams and bridges have been swept away.

The district administration had already issued a warning that the flow of the flood is expected to intensify over time even as the government attempts to control the flow by reducing the discharge from the Warsak Dam, which is located upstream. Earlier on Friday, the Nowshera district authorities had issued a high flood warning, forecasting that very high flood waters of around 300,000 cusecs may flow in the Kabul River at Nowshera, putting settlements along the riverbanks at risk and initiating an evacuation. In 2010, over 400,000 cusecs of floodwater had passed through this area, impacting around 60% of people in the area. In view of that, the authorities have decided to minimize the expected destruction from the flood by controlling the water discharge from Warsak Dam.

Credit:
Independent News Pakistan-INP