Balochistan rain death toll hits 102

Provincial govt releases Rs900m as compensation for victims

QUETTA:

Flash floods during the third spell of monsoon rains wreaked havoc in different parts of Balochistan on Monday, raising the death toll to 102 with two more deaths as well as demolishing roads and bridges, including the one connecting Balochistan with Sindh.

Two bodies were found in Wadh tehsil of Khuzdar district, while Lasbela district’s Linda Bridge – connecting Balochistan with Sindh – collapsed.

"Thirty-two children and 28 women are among the dead so far," Naseer Ahmed Nasar, the director-general of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), said.

Nasar said most of the children drowned in flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in different parts of the province.

Sources in the Levies force said two people were killed when a mud-walled house collapsed in Wadh tehsil of Khuzdar.

Rescue workers and local residents of the area reached the spot and retrieved the dead bodies from the debris, they said.

The DG PDMA said, “Floods also swept away different portions of Quetta-Karachi highway, cutting off Balochistan from Sindh.”

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the highway, he said, adding that women, children, and the elderly suffered for hours.

Kalat Division Commissioner Muhammad Dawood Khilji urged transporters and commuters to avoid travelling on the Quetta-Karachi highway.

"Floods have damaged bridges at Bela Cross and Hub Chowki," a statement issued by the commissioner's office said. The commissioner directed the departments concerned to ensure timely and early reconstruction of bridges and damaged roads.

The provincial government also issued a travel advisory, asking people to avoid traveling on the Quetta-Karachi and Quetta-Sibi national highways to avoid loss of lives and any other inconvenience.

The recent wave of monsoon rains and flash floods not only swept away many roads, but also demolished mud-houses and inundated several towns mainly in Zhob, Lasbela, Bolan and Sibi districts.

The district administration reached the sites and launched relief activities. However, continuous downpour and flow of water interrupted the relief and rescue operation jointly carried out by the PDMA, district administration and armed forces.

Further, the provincial government, Pakistan Army, PDMA and other relevant departments are continuing relief and rescue operations by shifting the worst-affected people to safer locations and providing health and other necessary assistance.

WHO Country Representative Palitha Mahipala also handed over relief items, including medicines, tents, blankets and edibles, to Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Aqili for the flood-stricken people.

Floods and torrential rains also damaged standing crops in Barkhan, Kohlu, Naseerabad, Pishin, Jaffarabad and other parts of the province.

"Recent rains have inflicted huge financial losses on growers and farmers," Syed Abdul Qahar Agha, the central leader of Balochistan Zamindar Action Committee, claimed. He demanded of the provincial government to announce a special relief package for the farmers of the province.

Compensation

The Balochistan government released more than Rs900 million as compensation for the victims of floods and rains. “Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo ordered the release of funds for the heirs of the victims of recent floods,” Farah Azeem Shah, the provincial government spokesperson, said.

She said the government was trying hard to provide relief to the flood victims.

Karachi

Meanwhile, a weather emergency was declared in Karachi on Monday as heavier-than-usual monsoon rains continue to lash the port city, flooding homes and making streets impassable.

At least seven people were electrocuted by power lines that fell into flooded streets -- a regular cause of death in the city during the monsoon.

The monsoon, which usually lasts from June to September, is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, but also brings a wave of destruction each year.

The provincial Sindh government announced a public holiday Monday in Karachi and Hyderabad in a bid to avert flood chaos, but low-lying areas -- already drenched by weeks of heavy rain -- were soon the scenes of devastation.

"More rains are forecast in Karachi until tomorrow," warned Sardar Sarfraz, director of the Met office.

The heavy downpour also disrupted flights and train operations in the megacity of 15 million. (With input from app)