Swat River tragedy highlights official negligence, illegal mining

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Swat: The recent tragedy, which saw that 12 people were killed in the Swat River, who did not check the administrative negligence, the mining of the rivers, and delayed the rescue efforts.

The incident came to light on Friday when the sudden rise of water flooded 17 members of a Sialkot family who were picnic on the banks of the river. Massively disturbing footage on social media showed that the group requested an hour -long help, trapped on the ground shrinking patch – yet there was no immediate response.

Rescue officials have recovered 12 bodies so far, including a child whose remains were found in Charsadda on Sunday. One person is still missing as the search operation is underway.

Although this year’s flood has not been on the scale of the disaster seen in 2010 or 2022, the loss has been significant. Flood waters are reportedly increased from areas such as Khwaja Khella, Mangar, and Malm Jabba – areas that are not usually associated with the early rise of the river.

Observers point to the failure of authorities in issuing timely alerts as an important factor. If initial warnings were discussed and residents were instructed to safe places, it is believed that some lives could have been saved.

The illegal mining of streams

Illegal mining along the Swat River is also under scrutiny. The irregular excavation of gravel and sand from the rivers has severely changed its natural style.

The use of heavy machinery has led to the formation of pits and mounds inside the stream, obstructing water flow and potentially helping to increase during the flood.

The alleged activities are allegedly underway, which raises concerns about regulatory implementation.

Delay in rescue operation, lack of goods

Rescue operation itself is also set on fire. Despite being deployed at a distance of just 3 to 4 km from the site, it took 19 minutes and equipped with the rescue 1122 teams to reach, which lacked boats, ropes and trained divers. During the operation, the goods had to be ordered, it was too late to make a meaningful difference.

In addition, the attention has been drawn to encroachments along the edge of the river. Critics have questioned how the structure is allowed to be constructed within 200 feet of the river, violating the safety regulations.

Although the government has since started crackdown on such illegal structures, there are calls for accountability against the officials who issued any objection certificates (NOC) and building permits.

Violation of policy, obstacles under examination

There have also been concerns over the justice of the anti -secret campaign, with allegations that enforcement can be selected. Observers emphasized that it should be performed without prejudice, regardless of the social and economic status of the affected people, to effective and accept the operation by the public.

In response to the incident, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has banned mining on the banks of the rivers and launched a widespread operation to remove illegal structures.

KP Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah announced that the crackdown would spread to all unauthorized construction, including hotels built near the rivers, including widespread efforts to prevent future tragedies.

Authorities have now increased the pressure to resolve the systematic issues that have participated in the deadly event and to impose security and accountability reforms.