Rain in Balochistan: Downpour paralyses life, disrupts power supply

Met office predicts more rain; water enters many homes.

QUETTA:

The weather system that had drenched the Balochistan province yesterday dumped 35 millimetre of rain on Quetta city Wednesday, bringing life to a halt and disrupting gas and power supply.

The torrential rain continued for the second consecutive day bringing cheers for the farmlands and orchards and misery for the city people.

Gas and electricity disappeared when clouds appeared on the sky. The miserable state of civic amenities left residents of Quetta simmering at the end of winter.

Roads were overflowing with water due to failure of sewerage system that laid bare the efficiency of the Quetta Municipal Corporation and other authorities concerned.

The splashing water on the roads also mocked at the Planning and Development Department of Balochistan. The worst sufferers were motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The flood on the roads did not spare even those seeking refuge in homes. Rainwater entered houses in many localities destroying home appliances and furniture.

The level of unpreparedness and poor infrastructure reflected as though the rain had touched the dry lands of Quetta for the first time.

Other areas of Balochistan including, Chaman, Kallat, Kharan, Loralai, Mastung, Nushki, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Turbat and Ziarat also witnessed wet spell on the second consecutive day. Many areas were submerged due to the heavy downpour in the province.

Breach in Dasht Daday Dam stranded the buses coming from Karachi to Turbat and the passengers had to spend the night on the road.

The Met office told The Express Tribune that Quetta has received 38 mm rain so far and while Kalat and Lesbela 15 mm, Zhob 7 mm, Turbat 4 mm and Panjgour and Pasni 2 mm.

The meteorologists have predicted cloudy weather and more rainfall in the province within 24 hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.