Swat Swept Away the Lives Again ! Who is Responsible ?
Gov for not providing safety ? The victims for not taking care of Alerts ?
Glaciers are Melting, Causing Flash Flood, Dushanbe Conference Warned
Tazeen Akhtar
It is highly and extremely unfortunate that every year tourist families drown in the rivers and die under the avalanches in the same territories of North of Pakistan but neither the concerned authorities take required measures nor the tourists take care of alerts and forecasts and forget the incidents happened previously.
Section 144 had been in effect in Swat since June 2, and 45 violations have been registered so far. He also revealed that more than 72,000 tourists were unexpectedly stranded and had to be evacuated as the situation escalated.
Swat swept away many lives again on the end of June 2025 while the same rivers took many lives in the last years, especially in 2022, the scene was the same as was with the family of Daska, Sialkot, six young men were standing in between the flood water like the family of Daska and both were taken by the water.
The cause of the sudden surge in water levels has been attributed to a combination of heavy rainfall and accelerated glacial melt in the region, phenomena experts say are becoming increasingly common due to climate change. Only a day before Swat tragedy, the National Disaster Management Authority issued alert for Glacial Lakes Outburst but the tourists did not take it seriously.
In Lower Dir, four people, including two women and two children, drowned in the Panjkora River near the Khazana Bypass. Rescue teams confirmed the victims were on their way to work by the riverside when they were swept away by strong currents. Search and recovery efforts are still in progress.
A review of accidents in the first two months of the current tourist season
1- 03 May 2025 – Eight members of a Rawalpindi family died when their Alto car fell into a deep gorge in Lower Kohistan. Possible cause: Overcrowding, lack of familiarity with mountain travel
2- 15 May 2025 – Four friends from Gujarat went missing along with their car in Gilgit-Baltistan. Their bodies and car were found in a deep ditch on the Jaglot-Skardu road next to a river after about ten days of searching. Possible cause: Fatigue, sleepiness and long night hill drive
3- 20 June 2025 – A family from Lahore, father, son and cousin Naran, were standing under the glacier of the Buttakundi Sohni waterfall to take pictures when suddenly the glacier collapsed and crushed all three of them.
4- 21 June 2025 – A boat capsized while boating in Kalam, Utror Shahi Bagh, killing ten members of the same family, of whom five were rescued alive while five (two women and three children) could not be rescued alive. Possible cause: The boat’s engine failed. No one was wearing a life jacket and the boat was swept away by the strong current.
On 29-31 May this year, Gov of Tajikistan hosted International Conference on Preservation of Glaciers at Dushanbe to share the information and prepare to mitigate the disaster the melting glaciers and outbursting lakes can cause in the downstream areas. It was the most important activity to sensitize the people of the world especially the people of Central Asia and adjacent Pakistan.
President Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon sent an alert to all to do something asap to avoid the huge losses of lives and infrastructure. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also addressed the conference. But as the people do not attach importance towards weather and climate change, suffer again and again.
18 tourists belonging to Daska were swept away in the Swat River near Mingora Bypass on 27 June 2025. They were brother , 3 sisters and their children. The family explained that a sudden surge of water trapped their loved ones in the river, leaving them with no chance to escape. “The water came unexpectedly, and they were all caught in it.
A Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government spokesperson said heavy monsoon floods in the Swat River trapped at least 75 people at various locations along the Bypass Road. Timely rescue operations successfully saved 58 people. Swat City Mayor Shahid Ali confirmed that a flood alert was issued around 8am after reports of a sudden rise in water levels.
Swat Assistant Commissioner Dr Nida Iqbal said the Swat administration had already imposed Section 144 a week ago, keeping in view the incoming flash floods in the river. Following the tragic incident, Malakand Division Commissioner Abid Wazir announced a formal inquiry to determine any negligence.Swat Deputy Commissioner Shahzad Mehboob emphasized that the local administration had taken preventive measures prior to the incident.
Only the Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah acknowledged “serious shortcomings” in the rescue efforts. He said the administration had a window of 45 minutes in which lives could have been saved, but “a small mistake turned into a major tragedy.”
He confirmed that the district in-charge of Rescue 1122 had been suspended and assured that all those responsible — whether from the police, rescue services, or civil administration — would be held accountable.
According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi, efforts were hampered due to the rocky riverbed, which made boat access impossible. “The current was too strong, and sharp stones posed serious risks. We couldn’t deploy a helicopter due to time constraints,” he explained.
Climate experts say such flash floods are becoming increasingly frequent due to rising temperatures and accelerated glacial melt, especially in the northern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Whatever the fault or ignorance , the tourists had committed, it was duty of the concerned departments and administration to respond timely to safe more lives and it was possible but the government officials showed their negligence and incompetence that is strongly condemnable.
Semator Mushtaq Ahmed holds the government and local administration responsible and says they are profiting from sand and gravel extraction contracts from the Swat River, calling them “gold mines” for officials. “These unchecked activities have turned the Swat River into a river of death,” he added.
He criticized the failure of the authorities despite prior warnings. “It is deeply concerning that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had already issued an alert yesterday, yet the district administration took no preventive measures.”
He said that the victims kept pleading for rescue for over an hour, but no one from the district administration responded. “This is not just bad governance; this is murderous governance,” the senator stated firmly. His remarks have intensified the ongoing debate about the lack of timely response and preparedness by local authorities in disaster situations.
The grieving family in Swat has alleged that the Rescue 1122 team was informed in time about the emergency at the Swat River, but they arrived more than an hour later. The family claims that the delay in response contributed to the tragic loss of their loved ones.
According to the affected family, when the rescue personnel initially arrived, they said they had no equipment capable of handling the fast-flowing waters. “They told us they didn’t have the necessary arrangements, and the river’s current was too strong,” the family stated.
The family claims the proper rescue team arrived only after their loved ones had already been swept away by the floodwaters.The incident raises serious concerns about emergency preparedness and the timely availability of rescue resources in the region.
