BUNER, Aug 18 (APP): Until last week, Rehan Shah’s modest poultry shop in the quiet village of Bishnoi nestled in Buner was his entire world.
“I woke up early on Friday, like I always do, and left for Sowari Bazaar to get fresh chickens,” he recalls, his voice cracking. “Then the sky turned black.”
That morning—August 15—clouds burst over the serene green hills, unleashing a catastrophic flash flood that changed thousands of lives forever. Within minutes, torrents of water swept through villages like Bishnoi, carrying with them trees, boulders, homes and dreams.
Rehan never got back to his shop as he found only rubble where it once stood.
“I don’t even know where my shop was anymore,” he says, tears streaking his dust-covered face. “That was everything I had. My only income.”
Until days ago, Bishnoi was postcard-worthy. A picturesque stream ran through its heart, lined by stone houses and surrounded by dense forests and fruit-laden trees.
Now, massive boulders that was never seen before lie piled over the remains of homes. Uprooted trees and shattered concrete blocks litter the streets. For many, it feels as though nature ripped up the ground and rewrote the area map.
“Every stone you step on here could be someone’s home,” says Ikramullah, a local fish dealer. His shop was also washed away. “We’re not walking on earth; we’re walking on what’s left of people’s lives.”
He points to a rock the size of a car and said it wasn’t here before. This huge rock is now on the second floor of someone’s buried house.”
The flood, triggered by a rare cloudburst, struck without warning. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), 380 people have lost their lives across the region, with 150 missing from Buner alone—the highest number in any district.
Among the victims are 279 men, 15 women, and 13 children. Homes, schools, health centers—all ravaged.
Beyond the staggering death toll and infrastructure collapse, another loss goes quietly mourned: the destruction of small-scale poultry and fish businesses that many families relied on.
In villages like Bishnoi and Pir Baba, dozens of small shops were wiped out in minutes.
“Chickens don’t just grow overnight,” says Rehan. “I invested everything I had into that little shop—feed, cages, the birds themselves. Now there’s nothing.”
According to local authorities, 50% of homes in the village were completely destroyed, while the remaining are no longer habitable. The economic impact of the floods is already being felt, particularly among daily wage earners and small traders like Rehan and Ikramullah.
In the aftermath, health services are buckling under the weight of climate disaster that worried all.
With 21 hospitals partially damaged and one completely destroyed, medical workers are struggling to keep up. 289 emergency medical camps have been established, treating over 5,600 patients in 24 hours, mostly women, children, and the elderly.
Infectious diseases are rising fast: 354 cases have been reported so far in Swat and Bajaur, including respiratory infections and diarrhea. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported due to these outbreaks yet.
Top government officials have flocked to the area. Prime Minister’s Coordinator Ikhtair Wali Khan, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, and several federal and provincial leaders visited the affected regions, expressing solidarity and promising compensation.
“The devastation in Buner is beyond imagination,” said Ikhtair Wali, while standing amidst the wreckage at Bishoni. “The federal government will ensure every victim is supported.”
CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur echoed the sentiment: “Human lives cannot be replaced, but we will not leave the victims alone. Every affected family will be rehabilitated.”
But for Rehan and hundreds like him, compensation—if it comes—may not be enough to replace a lifetime’s worth of labour.
Despite the destruction, a spirit of community and resilience shines through.
Local youth, rescue workers, and volunteers continue to clear debris, search for survivors, and offer food and comfort. In Pir Baba, more than 400 schoolchildren were rescued safely. In flood hit areas, helicopters are dropping relief goods, while mosques and community hujras shelter the displaced.
“It’s not just my shop I lost,” Rehan says quietly, looking at the scarred hills that once surrounded his peaceful village. “It’s my dignity, my future.”
As Buner begins the slow work of rebuilding, the story of Rehan—and thousands like him—stands as a poignant reminder that in every disaster, beyond the headlines and numbers, it’s the ordinary lives that bear the heaviest loss.
Equal responsibilities rest on civil society to come forward and generously contribute for assistance of flood victims.
