Swat Flood Disaster: Lives, Livelihoods, and Markets Buried Under Mud in Pakistan’s Switzerland
From rickshaw drivers struggling to repay loans to traders losing decades of business, the Mingora city tragedy exposes how poor planning and climate extremes turned a cloudburst into catastrophe.
- After the Floods in Swat, Pakistan, Mingora Bazaar Turns into a Pile of Mud , Debris Creates a Dam Beside the Bridge
"My only source of livelihood is this auto rickshaw, and right now it is buried under tons of mud. On the other hand, the destruction the flood has caused in my home is also my responsibility to fix," said Muhammad Sharif.
"Sometimes I am here with my son, clearing mud to get the rickshaw out, and other times I go home to help my daughters deal with the destruction there."
Muhammad Sharif is one of many victims of the devastating floods that swept through Swat’s Mingora Bazaar. Like him, many others are desperately searching for their vehicles and motorcycles trapped under mud.
How Will I Pay the Rickshaw Installments?
On Friday, after a cloudburst, heavy flooding swept into Mingora Bazaar, submerging homes, markets, and shops. Four days later, people are still trying to dig their belongings out from under the mud.
Fifty-five-year-old Muhammad Sharif, who drives an auto rickshaw to support his four daughters and one son, said he had parked his rickshaw in a building’s basement parking the night before.
But the next morning, heavy rains caused floodwaters to inundate the area. “Homes, shops, markets, even government offices — everything was filled with floodwater and tons of mud,” he said.
Although Sharif managed to move his family to safety and avoided loss of life, the floods severely damaged both his home and his only source of income — the rickshaw.
He explained that the rickshaw was bought on installments, and he still owes 300,000 rupees. “Even if I get it out of the mud, it will need major repairs, and I don’t know how much that will cost.”
In the same parking lot, another young man named Kashif was also searching for his rickshaw buried under the mud. Unlike Sharif, he declined to speak. Nearby, a group of young men dug frantically, trying to find a motorcycle that had disappeared under the debris. One of them explained that his bike had a flat tire the day before, and instead of taking it home, he had left it there only for the flood to bury it.
Who is Responsible for the Destruction in Mingora Bazaar?
Swat often called the Switzerland of Pakistan now lies blanketed in mud and debris. In Mingora Bazaar, the flood wreaked havoc everywhere.
Both residents and business owners suffered massive losses. Local reports suggest that more than 170 lives were lost in the flooding across Swat on Friday.
Mingora Bazaar is the largest commercial hub in Malakand Division, housing the press club, police station, municipal offices, and other key institutions. According to a member of the Swat Press Club, floodwaters even entered their building, reaching as high as the ceiling.
Among the hardest hit was Cheena Market, a busy area once known for a freshwater spring ("Cheena" means spring in Pashto). Over time, the spring was replaced by narrow alleys filled with shops selling clothes, cosmetics, and other goods.
Veteran trader Muhammad Yousaf, who has run several shops in Cheena Market for 25 years, said: “The big shop owners suffered huge losses, but the small traders — those with just counters or stalls — lost everything, 100 percent.”
He blamed poor construction for worsening the disaster. A drain (khoṛ in Pashto) runs through the market, and according to him, a bridge was built in the wrong place and in the wrong way.
“When floodwater came down carrying boulders and trees, they got stuck against the bridge. The debris formed a dam, which caused the water to back up and flood the area,” Yousaf explained.
Another elderly trader, Haroon Rashid, recalled how the flood nearly took his younger son’s life. “He was in the basement when the flood entered. My elder son pulled him out just in time — just a few seconds saved him.”
When the Mingora floods struck, similar cloudbursts triggered floods in Buner district as well. Locals believe that the cloudbursts happened simultaneously on both sides of the mountain, sending torrents of water into Buner on one side and Swat on the other.
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