Fresh rains pile up misery on Balochistan, K-P

QUETTA/PESHAWAR:

With more monsoon gusts bearing down on the country, the people in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) scrambled to meet boats arriving with ration and medical supplies as massive floods, which have snuffed out hundreds of lives, continued their assault on Saturday.

The death toll rose to 127 across Balochistan on Saturday evening as rescue workers found seven more dead bodies in Noshki, Lasbela, Chaghi and Zhob districts.

The deadly rains have crippled transportation and commerce while drowning out thousands from their villages as around 10,000 houses were damaged out of which 6,700 were completely swept away.

Waters have eroded various portions of railway track between Pakistan and Iran, an official of the Balochistan home and tribal affairs department informed on the condition of anonymity.

Floods damaged approximately 565 km of roads and 197,930-acre of agricultural land while 712 livestock also died, according to Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Uqaili.

With emergencies already declared for the most stricken areas of Balochistan by the provincial government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday issued instructions to expedite the pace of relief operations as he travelled to the flood-hit region, reassuring people that the federal government would not leave them alone in the hour of trial.

"We will not leave you alone", the prime minister told an aged man, adding it was the responsibility of the provincial and federal governments to support the affected people.

Earlier, the prime minister also took an aerial survey of the areas completely submerged in the water and directed the authorities concerned to immediately set up a medical camp and supply medicines to the affected villages.

Fresh reports issued by the disaster management authorities on Saturday said on heavy rains and floods have left 19 dead and hundreds marooned in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, nine of a family drowned in the last 24 hours after they were swept away by the floods, the PDMA said in an update. At least 10 people were killed and 17 injured in floods and roof collapses.

The PDMA said that in the last 36 hours, nearly 100 houses were completely damaged in the floods leaving residents stranded in waist-high water and no roof. The most-affected areas include Khyber, Mansehra, Lower Dir, Buner, Swabi and Dera Ismail Khan.

The PDMA has warned that there were high-level floods in the Kabul and Jandi rivers and instructed the administration to relocate people living in neighbouring areas.

More thunderstorms expected

Meanwhile, the Met Office on Saturday predicted more rains and thunderstorms across the country during the next 12 hours.

Isolated heavy falls are likely in Kashmir, upper Punjab, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and north Balochistan, a Radio Pakistan report said.

It added that cloudy weather with chances of rain-wind-thundershower was predicted in Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Pulwama, Anantnag, Shopian and Baramula.

PAF continues relief efforts

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Air Force, on special instructions from Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, continued its relief and rescue operations in the province, said a statement from the PAF.

The PAF added that its "personnel and helicopter fleet are actively engaged in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support to the people stranded in flash floods affected areas of Balochistan".

The statement elaborated that the force has distributed 4,200 kgs of rations comprising flour, ghee, sugar, lentils and tea in the flood-affected areas.

"Additionally, several families have been evacuated from land-locked areas to safer places."

"46 children and 32 women are also among the dead", Naseer Ahmed Nasar, the Director-General Provincial Disaster Management Authority said. He said rescue and relief operation was underway in all floods affected parts of Balochistan. Pak Army, Frontier Corps and the rescue workers from the PDMA rescued thousands of stranded people in the Lasbela and Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan.

The Pak Army personnel have also been using boats to evacuate the people and shift them to safer places. Army helicopters are also engaged in rescue and relief operations across Balochistan.

Earlier in the week, Shehbaz chaired a detailed meeting on the rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures taken in the affected areas. The meeting was also apprised about the distribution of financial support among the flood affectees.

Under directions from Shehbaz, families who lost loved ones in the natural calamity will be given compensation of Rs1 million each. The prime minister had also directed increasing the financial aid given to the injured and compensation for the damaged property.

The order was passed for increasing the amount for the injured from Rs 50,000 to Rs200,000. Besides, support for partially damaged homes had been increased from Rs25,000 to Rs250,000 and for destroyed houses, the amount was increased from Rs50,000 to Rs500,000 each.

The PM had also constituted a special committee comprising the federal ministers to effectively supervise the rescue and relief activities.