PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has unveiled a staggering damage estimate of Rs9.45 billion for repairing roads and bridges destroyed by relentless rains and flash floods that battered the province between August 15 and 22.
The devastating floods have already claimed 393 lives, injured 190 people, and damaged 1,618 houses with 433 homes completely swept away. Buner district suffered the highest toll, reporting 234 deaths.
According to a detailed assessment by the Communications and Works Department (C&W) released on Saturday, a total of 331 roads were damaged at 336 locations, leaving nearly 493 kilometres of road infrastructure unusable. While 229 roads have been partially reopened and 50 fully restored, at least 57 remain cut off, highlighting the enormity of the recovery challenge.
The department revealed that restoring the road network alone would cost Rs9.45bn, while rebuilding the 32 washed-away bridges would require another Rs1.12bn. So far, one bridge has been fully restored, 22 are partially functional, and nine remain closed.
Swat emerged as the worst-hit district, where 79 roads sustained damage at 80 points, with 43 kilometres completely washed away. Though three roads are back in service and 75 partially cleared, two remain blocked. The rehabilitation bill for Swat has already crossed Rs450 million.
In Buner, 43 roads were hit by floods, but only four remain inaccessible, while repair work worth over Rs450 million has been carried out. Swabi also saw 41 roads damaged, of which 32 are still awaiting restoration.
Officials stressed that rehabilitation work is ongoing across all flood-affected districts, with priority given to areas where connectivity is critical for communities.
Seasonal monsoon rains and landslides often cause destruction in K-P, but this year’s toll has been particularly high. Authorities confirmed that nearly 750 people have died across Pakistan since the monsoon began in June.
Pakistan, ranked among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, is increasingly battered by extreme weather events. The 2022 monsoon floods serve as a grim reminder when one-third of the country was submerged, killing almost 1,700 people.
