Floods sweep away roads, bridges in Balochistan

Death toll from rain-induced deluge rises to 8 in two days

QUETTA:

Torrential rains wreaked havoc in Balochistan for the second day taking the toll to eight fatalities and demolishing a bridge on the Quetta-Sibi Highway which led to disconnecting the provincial city’s road link with Punjab and Sindh.

Three more people have drowned in flood on Sunday while bodies of two people who had drowned in Bolan River have been recovered.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded at Quetta-Sibi Highway after the collapse of Bibi Nani Bridge as flood has also severely damaged the road from many places. However, Frontier Corps and Levies personnel were conducting operation to rescue the passengers trapped on both sides of the bridge since Saturday.

Pakistan Railways in collaboration with provincial government has started railway service between Quetta and Sibi after the closure of the national highway.

Flood water swept a vehicle in Harnai town of the province but the passengers — a family who were travelling to Zardalu picnic point — remained safe in the rescue operation.

The situation in Chagai district, especially in Dalbandin city, remained grim as mud houses collapsed during heavy downpour leaving the families homeless. People stayed awake all night as cracks had appeared in the houses creating fear of collapse.

Levies personnel helped the victims while Chagai Assistant Commissioner Javed Domki said he would review the situation on his own. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority estimated 142 houses have been damaged completely across the province during the current rainfall.

In other areas of the province, the floods have affected thousands of people in Bolan, Sibi, Mach, Kachi, and Kohlu.

Gas pipelines were also affected by the heavy downpour and the supply of gas could not be restored till filing of the story. Meanwhile, water level in Hub Dam has reached to 328 feet, only 11 feet below the limit, and is continuously rising.

Relief operations

Rescue and relief operations continued in various areas of Jhal Magsi district of the province.

Rescue teams of the Pakistan Army and the Navy, as well as medical and engineering teams, assisted the civil administration in the province in bringing stranded locals to safer locations, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Meals were served to around 1,000 people who were left stranded as the heavy downpour triggered flash floods that cut off highways at several locations and cut off gas supply. Families stranded in Wangu hills were also rescued and brought to safer locations after an eight-hour long rescue operation, read the statement.

According to the ISPR, as of now, the route connecting Jhal Magsi and Gandawah districts has been cleared, the Pasi bridge has been reopened for traffic, and the coastal highway has been cleared for traffic.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2020.