PESHAWAR: Over 120 stranded people were evacuated from Sardar Colony of the provincial capital after floodwaters from Budhni nullah inundated the area on Friday.

Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi told Dawn that they rescued 120 persons from Sardar Colony after heavy rains early on Friday. He said 40 rescuers and four rescue vehicles were deployed in the area. Besides, he said that five persons were rescued from the Khushal Bagh area on Warsak Road. He said rescuers were also deployed to Safia Homes and Nasir Bagh Road; however, no evacuations were made from these areas.

However, he said that no casualties were reported.

TransPeshawar, the operator of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit, said it suspended the services due to the closure of the Budhni Bridge.

Peshawar witnessed heavy rains during the early hours of Friday, and according to the Met department, the provincial capital received 21mm of rain.

According to Rescue 1122, rainwater accumulated on roads in Swat and Khyber districts as well; however, no casualties were reported. It said that they used dewatering pumps to drain rainwater from several areas.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Peshawar Electric Supply Company said that 84 feeders tripped after the rain and windstorm. It said the tripping of feeders resulted in the suspension of electricity in Peshawar, Khyber, Mardan, Swabi and Swat circles. It said that 41 feeders tripped in Peshawar circle, 22 in Khyber, 12 in Mardan, five in Swabi and four in Swat circle. The power utility said that its staff was working to restore power supply.

Meanwhile, floodwaters caused the collapse of the Topi-Kotha causeway in Swabi, suspending traffic between Topi and various villages.

The causeway built on the Topi Nullah also provided a shortcut to Topi main city for the people of different regions.

The nullah was in high flood due to overnight torrential rain in the Gadoon mountainous region. The causeway was reconstructed only a year ago.

As soon as the incident was reported, officials of the tehsil municipal administration, Rescue 1122 and Civil Defence reached the spot.

Residents alleged the use of substandard material in the construction of the causeway.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2026