Recent floods and landslides in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have caused severe damage to the province’s road infrastructure. The Communications and Works Department reported damage to 331 roads at 336 locations between August 15 and 22. In total, 493 kilometers of roads were washed away, and 57 roads remain closed due to the damage.
The department estimates that repairing the damaged roads will cost around Rs 945 crore. So far, 229 roads have been partially restored, and 50 roads are fully functional again. Additionally, 32 bridges were destroyed in the floods. One bridge has been fully reopened, and 22 are partially open, while nine bridges remain closed for traffic. The repair cost for these bridges is estimated at Rs 112 crore.
Among the worst-affected districts, Swat saw 79 roads damaged across 80 locations. Approximately 43 kilometers of roads were washed away there. Three roads are fully restored, and 75 partially reopened, but two roads remain closed. Repair work in Swat is expected to cost over Rs 45 crore.
Buner also suffered significant damage with 43 roads affected. Out of these, 39 roads have been partially restored, while four remain closed. The estimated repair cost for Buner’s roads is Rs 450 crore. Similarly, in Swabi, 41 roads were damaged, but only nine have been repaired so far. Repairing Swabi’s roads will cost approximately Rs 276 crore.
Secretary of Communications and Works, Muhammad Israr, told Geo News that heavy rains and floods caused widespread damage in Buner, Swabi, and other districts. The Finance Department released Rs 150 crore on August 15, with Rs 70 crore already disbursed for repair work. The department has started restoration using 186 machinery units to fix the roads quickly.