MIANWALI: Heavy early-morning rainfall and flash floods from hill torrents have damaged a section of Chapri Bridge on Kot Chandana Road, disrupting road connectivity between Chapri and several settlements in the Khatak Belt.
Floodwater from the Chachali hill torrent, following heavy rainfall in the northern hilly areas of Mianwali, washed away part of the bridge near Chapri. The damage has badly affected road links between Chapri and Kot Chandana, Tola Mangli, Mohabbat Khel, Alf Khel and Janjuani.
The damage is not limited to the Chapri-Kot Chandana Road. A bridge on the Chapri-Kamar Mashani Road, constructed in 2017, has also remained non-functional due to incomplete works, including the construction of shoulders and other required measures.
Flash flooding also breached the embankment of Nullah Adwala near Kamar Mashani Thal, sending water into agricultural fields in Wandha Kamalzai and Wandha Nanzian Wala. Hundreds of kanals of standing crops were reportedly inundated.
Another breach was reported along the eastern embankment of Nullah Adwala at Kacha Barzi, allowing floodwater to enter nearby agricultural land. Farmers fear significant losses to millet, maize and other crops.
Local residents and farmers said they had repeatedly raised concerns about weak bridge shoulders and the condition of embankments and flood channels since last year. They alleged that timely action was not taken by the relevant authorities.
The latest flooding has highlighted the vulnerability of communities and agricultural land in areas exposed to hill-torrent flooding. Damage to roads, bridges and farmland can disrupt transport, livelihoods and access to essential services.
Residents have called for urgent measures to strengthen bridge shoulders, repair embankments and improve flood channels. They have also urged authorities to clear silt and debris from hill-torrent beds and beneath bridges to improve water flow and reduce future flood risks.
Improving drainage infrastructure, maintaining flood channels and strengthening vulnerable bridges can play an important role in building disaster resilience in flood-prone areas of Mianwali.
