Flash floods damage Chapri Bridge

MIANWALI: Heavy early-morning rainfall and flash floods damaged part of the Chapri Bridge on Kot Chandana Road, disrupting road links between Chapri and several towns in the Khatak Belt.

Floodwater from the Chachali hill torrent swept away a section of the bridge after heavy rain lashed the northern hilly areas of Mianwali. The damage has severely affected connectivity between Chapri and Kot Chandana, Tola Mangli, Mohabbat Khel, Alf Khel and Janjuani.

The flooding also breached the embankments of Nullah Adwala near Kamar Mashani, submerging hundreds of kanals of standing crops and causing losses to farmers in nearby areas.

Residents said the latest damage has further exposed the area’s vulnerability to flash floods originating from hill torrents.

Meanwhile, a bridge on the Chapri-Kamar Mashani Road has also remained unusable due to incomplete construction work. The bridge, built in 2017, still requires shoulders and other essential works before it can become fully operational.

Residents have urged the authorities to take immediate steps to strengthen bridge shoulders, embankments and flood channels. They also called for the removal of silt and debris from hill-torrent beds and areas beneath bridges to improve water flow and reduce the risk of future flooding.

They said timely maintenance and flood-control measures could help protect roads, bridges, agricultural land and nearby communities from recurring flash floods.