ABBOTTABAD:
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has issued a detailed report outlining the widespread devastation caused by recent cloudbursts and flash floods across the Hazara division.
According to the report, at least seven schools four primary, two middle, and one high school were completely destroyed in Abbottabad, Mansehra, and Battagram. In addition, 638 educational institutions suffered partial damage.
In Abbottabad district, a female student lost her life, while a teacher and another student were injured during the flooding. The area witnessed the total collapse of three boys’ schools two primary and one middle along with significant damage to 11 more institutions. These included six primary, three middle, and two high schools. Among girls’ schools, one high school was reduced to rubble, while 56 others 46 primary, four middle, and two higher secondary schools sustained partial damage.
Mansehra district also bore the brunt of the floods, where three boys’ schools (two primary and one middle) were demolished, and six others were partially damaged. Two girls’ schools a primary and a high school also reported flood-related damage. In Battagram, four boys’ schools, including two primary and two high schools, were partially affected, along with one girls’ primary school.
In total, the report recorded the destruction of 61 schools 52 primary, seven middle, and two high schools across the three districts. Another 324 institutions, including 233 primary, 35 middle, 42 high, and 14 higher secondary schools, were left partially damaged.
The torrential rains also wreaked havoc on infrastructure. The Karakoram Highway was submerged at multiple points, while roads in Sarban Chowk, Sikandarabad, Mandian, and Ayub Complex were inundated, grinding traffic to a halt. Flash floods swelled local streams and nullahs, sweeping away a luxury vehicle that was completely destroyed.
In Havellian, the Ayub Bridge once again came under threat of collapse, further hampering traffic flow. In Sikandarabad, floodwaters entered a private school, but quick action by Al-Khidmat Foundation volunteers ensured the safe evacuation of all students and staff.
Heavy downpours and strong winds also triggered landslides in Abbottabad and Galiyat, particularly in Tohidabad, Changagali, and Ayubia. According to Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) Director General Shahrukh Ali, technical teams armed with heavy machinery are working round the clock to clear blocked routes. All staff leaves have been cancelled to cope with the emergency.
The GDA chief further urged tourists to exercise extreme caution while traveling to Galiyat, warning that weather conditions remain highly unpredictable and dangerous.
