Rain adds to woes of flood victims

QUETTA: Torrential rain continued to pile on misery in the Bugti tribal area and Jaffarabad on Saturday where a large number of people were left stranded without relief items.

A fresh spell of rain triggered flash floods in the Bugti area, inundating several villages including Habib Rahi, Lop, Loti and Sui. More than 3,000 people were affected and dozens of houses were either washed away or badly damaged. Villages situated near the Pat Feeder Canal were also submerged.

The army is actively working in the Bugti area, ferrying the stranded people to safer places, according to local residents.

“There is no civil administration to help the afflicted, dozens of people who suffered injuries are still stuck in different places,” Naseer Bugti, a journalist based in Dera Bugti told The Express Tribune.

Heavy downpours wreaked havoc in Gola plains of Sohbatpur and inundated as many as 40 villages. Around 1,200 people are believed to be trapped in the area although the troops did manage to reach the area and tried rescuing the people.

Rain continued to fall in Sibi as well for several hours while 30 fresh breaches have been reported in some drains and three canals inundating two villages in Jaffarabad. The Panwar Senhri and Pithan Pati were inundated, forcing people to take shelter on higher ground.

“Some 30,000 tents are needed while food for 100,000 people is required in Naseerabad,” Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aslam Raisani told journalists.

The meteorological department has predicted more rains in the eastern and northern parts of Balochistan during the next 24 hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2010.