Rains batter Balochistan, razing scores of homes, infrastructure

QUETTA/PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Continuing rains in the country have pummeled the southwestern Balochistan province, killing over 100 people and leaving thousands of homes completely destroyed.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Azai Aqili said as many as 111 people had lost their lives so far, as a heavy downpour continues to hit the province.

He said the rains had completely destroyed 6,077 houses and damaged over 10,000 homes adding that these were just the official statistics, reports Geo. Aqili said 16 dams sustained minor or major damages, while crops and gardens stretching over two acres of land were also harmed.

“The recent monsoon spell brought more than 500% [as compared to earlier] rain and also severely damaged 2,400 solar panels,” the chief secretary said. He noted that 10 districts in Balochistan were affected due to the rains, but fortunately, the situation at the Kech River was under control.

The chief secretary also mentioned that 650km roads were damaged. The route from Karachi to Quetta has been closed for heavy traffic, he said, urging people to refrain from unnecessary travel. The chief secretary said the Pakistan Army, Frontier Constabulary, and civil administration were conducting rescue operations, but the damaged roads were hampering the efforts.

Aqili said 17,000 people had been rescued so far and rescue operations were underway to move 2,000 people to secure locations. The top official said the leaves of all government employees had been cancelled in the wake of the disastrous rains.

During the presser, a National Highway Authority official mentioned that the Hub bridge built in 1962 was damaged by the overflowing water. He said new bridges will be constructed on an “emergency basis” in Hub.

Repair works are also underway on N-25 and M-8 roads, he added. However, the province’s plight might not end there, as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rains in the province.

The PMD said from July 27 to 31, rains and thundershowers are expected to hit Quetta, Chaman, Harnai, Zhob, Ziarat, Barkhan, Loralai, Bolan, Kohlu, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, and Sibbi.

Sindh rain kills 93, destroys over 2,000 homes In a briefing to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a high-level meeting on rains, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali said informed that 93 people lost their lives and 59 were injured in the July rains.

The chief minister said that the province recorded 369% more rains this year and Karachi — the economic capital of the country — received 556mm rains. Shah said almost all districts received rain in the three spells that hit the province, and among the 93 deaths that were recorded in Sindh, 47 were children. He said that 15,547 homes received minor damages and 2,807 houses were completely destroyed. Crops stretching over 89,213 acres were severely damaged, CM Shah said.

In light of the devastation, the prime minister has constituted a committee to assess the damage caused by monsoon rains and floods, according to Radio Pakistan. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad, he said the committee — comprising federal ministers — should visit all the affected areas in the next four days.

Shehbaz said short, medium, and long-term plans will be formulated in the light of the recommendations of the committee on the fourth of next month. Shehbaz announced to enhance the compensation of injured people from Rs50,000 to Rs200,000.

Official present during the meeting informed the participants that so far, 356 people had died across the country due to floods and rains. Apart from Balochistan and Sindh, officials said one person was killed in Islamabad, 69 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 76 in Punjab, eight in Gilgit-Baltistan, and six in Azad Kashmir, while the number of injured people is 406.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, said two army aviation helicopters had flown from Karachi to Othal, and Lasbella areas. “These helicopters had attempted [to fly] during last 48 hours, but could not fly due to bad weather conditions. The helicopters will now shift stranded people to safer places and also transport necessary relief items,” it said.

Gwadar’s general commanding officer visited the Othal area to oversee rescue and relief efforts, while the senior local commander in Khuzdar will also visit flood-affected areas of the district on Friday (today).

Ground rescue and relief teams are busy in Othal, Jhal Magsi shifting people to safer places and provision of food and water to local residents, the ISPR said. The military’s media wing said that doctors and paramedics are providing medical care to affected people. Moreover, it said that coastal highway has been opened for all kinds of traffic.

“Efforts are in hand to repair the damaged communication infrastructure and restore utilities. The protection bund in Turbat which was breached has been repaired.” In Punjab, the ISPR said that troops are assisting civil administration in relief efforts in Dera Ghazi Khan after flash floods and hill torrents.

Two medical camps have been established by the army to provide medical care to residents affected due to floods, it added. For Sindh, the ISPR said that apart from de-watering efforts in Karachi, troops are busy in relief efforts in Jamshoro and Gharo areas.

Meanwhile, at least three persons were killed and four others injured on Thursday as rains continue to hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The wife and son of one Nek Khan died when the room of his house in the New Abadi area in the Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber district collapsed due to heavy rain.

Nek Khan and his other son were seriously injured, while two children escaped unhurt. Rescue 1122 personnel later reached the area and retrieved the bodies from the debris. A man was killed and two others sustained injuries when the roof of the house caved in in the Bara Tehsil of the Khyber tribal district.

Alla Jan and his family were asleep when the room of the house collapsed in the Sipah area. As a result, one person identified as Abdullah Jan died on the spot, while the wife of Alla Jan and his son Hamza sustained injuries.

In Upper Chitral, floods destroyed orchards and crops in Khuzh, Brep and Ghoru villages. Several houses were submerged by the floods that hit the villages early in the day. The ferocious river continued to devour precious land in Lower Khuzh amid inaction by the district administration.

In the upper parts of Hazara, floods washed away houses, bridges and roads. Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, Karakoram Highway and different arteries in various places in Upper Kohistan and Kaghan valley were blocked for traffic.

The central bridge, which links Baffa Khurd with the rest of the Mansehra district, was swept away by the flooded Siran River. Flash floods in Kunhar River, Indus River and Siran River and local streams inundated houses in Noguazi, Safada and other parts of the division, destroying standing crops.

Landslides at Battakundi and Jalkhad blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road in the Kaghan valley. Chief Minister’s Special Assistant for Population, Ahmad Hussain Shah, visited the area and supervised the road clearance operation carried out by the National Highway Authority.

Slum houses caved in in Joshui, Dunguin and Danash villages after flash floods in streams in Upper Kohistan. Mansehra police issued a weather alert, warning tourists not to move ahead from Naran as Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road was blocked because of the mud and landslides.

“We have moved machinery to clear the blocked portions of the road in the Kaghan valley and shifted tourists to a safer place,” Adnan Khan Bhittani, the deputy commissioner, told reporters.

Electricity, which was suspended following the heavy rains in different localities of Mansehra, Shinkiari, Balakot, Oghi and other parts of the division, could not be restored. In Tank, the authorities rescued several persons trapped in a truck during floods.

According to an official handout, the Rescue 1122 teams were informed that some people were trapped in a truck which had fallen into the floodwater in Jandola area, around 35km from Tank. Rescue personnel recovered the sunken vehicle as well as the people on board.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman and former premier Imran Khan Thursday instructed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments to provide all possible assistance to the flood-hit areas of Balochistan and South Punjab.

He ordered that the Punjab government should immediately provide flood assistance to people in the flood-hit areas of south Punjab and affected regions of Mianwali. Imran said he had directed the KP government to immediately provide flood relief to those in the affected areas of Balochistan.