Heavy rains wreak havoc in Balochistan cities

Author: Web Desk

Torrential rains pounded the coastal cities of Balochistan, producing flash flooding, with Makran Division being the hardest hit, with walls of numerous houses collapsing or being buried by rainwater.

Due to severe rain, dozens of residential structures in Quetta, Qila Abdullah, and other districts have collapsed.

A number of Balochistan cities, particularly those along the coastal strip, were hit by the first substantial rainstorm of the winter. Many homes in Qila Abdullah and Gwadar were entirely inundated by rainwater.

Rescue and relief operations have been carried out by rescue and civic officials, as well as the Pakistan Army and Frontier Constabulary, to aid the trapped inhabitants of Balochistan. Locals were relocated to safer areas by army and humanitarian agencies, and work to rebuild link routes in these communities has begun.

On Wednesday, a state of emergency was declared in several parts of Balochistan after torrential rains flooded homes and inundated connecting roads, particularly along the province’s coastal belt, where Pakistan Armed Forces troops were dispatched to assist the civilian administration in a massive rescue operation.

Soldiers joined the Gwadar district administration for help, as dozens of mud houses collapsed, while floodwaters entered settlements and alleys and roads turned into pools after heavy rains pummelled the coastal district, the military said.

On the other hand, heavy snowfall in Kan Mehtarzai and Ziarat made the roads in these areas unpassable, suspending traffic on the national highway. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that the highway was reopened late on Wednesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) the worst-affected areas included Old Town Gwadar, Sorbandar and Pashukan and the army was using small and large machines in Gwadar city and its neighbourhoods to drain water from the inundated streets.

“Relief operations are under way in Gwadar, Sorbandar and the areas adjacent to East Bay Expressway,” the ISPR said.

“The Pakistan Army continued its relief operations in collaboration with the civil administration and ensured the provision of rations, tents and beds among the people.” Similarly, the FC Balochistan carried out relief activities in the flood-affected of Kech district.