Daily Times

The death toll in Balochistan has risen to 217 after eight people were killed in rain-related incidents on Saturday, while 159 people have also died so far in incidents related to monsoon rains in Sindh.

Balochistan Levies and local administrations said eight people, including two women, were killed when roofs of houses collapsed in Jaffarabad and Dera Bugti districts.

Unprecedented monsoon-induced floods also severed land routes connecting Kohlu and Khuzdar as per the information shared by the local administration.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that another monsoon system is likely to enter Balochistan on August 23 which may overlap with the existing weather system which is likely to remain active at least till August 22. A 24-inch pipeline supplying natural gas to Quetta and other areas was swept away by flood at Bibi Nani, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) spokesperson said on Saturday.

The SSGC spokesman Salman Ahmad Siddiqui confirmed that gas supply to Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Pishin, and other areas has been suspended due to the incident. “The SSGC teams have been dispatched to Bolan to reconnect the gas supply,” he added. The spokesperson also stated that SSGC management was also trying to restore supply through an alternative pipeline.

In Khuzdar, several settlements in Karkh and Wadh areas were submerged due to monsoon-induced floods.

Meanwhile, the highway connecting Sindh and Balochistan at Wingo Hill and Bhalunk was also damaged, disconnecting the land route between the two provinces.

According to latest reports, the power supply system was also destroyed by the floods in Kohlu district.

Quetta-Karachi road links through Lasbela are disconnected for almost a week due to washing away of the main bridge at Uthal while due to land sliding and continuous rains, traffic at Quetta-Zhob and Quetta-Lorali connecting Balochistan with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also suspended for last two days. The railway track at Notal and Dera Murad Jamali is also inundated in floodwater suspending rail service between Balochistan and rest of the country. The government is striving hard to restore the road and rail link as soon as possible, however torrential rain and flood is hampering the relief and rehabilitation efforts put in place in this connection.

Meanwhile, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman stated that Sindh received record rain, which resulted into unfortunate incidents claiming 159 lives so far. The minister stated that some parts of the province also saw three-day nonstop rain. In a tweet, Sherry Rehman tagged Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) as the source of the information.

Khairpur was submerged in water as unrelenting rains lashed the metropolis for three days in continuity. Around five feet of water has accumulated on the highways connecting the district with other nearby areas. In a bid to prevent untoward incidents, the administration has tied ropes to cordon off the area.

In Goth Khadim Katohar, a hilly area of Shadi Shaheed, the roof of a house collapsed due to incessant rain claiming the lives of five people and injuring three. Roof collapse incidents have taken 17 lives in district Khairpur during the last three days. On the other hand, Nizamani dyke collapse deluged dozens of villages in Nara. As per initial reports, more than 30 villages were submerged following the incident. In Khairpur, three women caring for sick children were injured when part of a wall fell on them in City Children Hospital. They were shifted to Civil Hospital for treatment. In Khairpur Kunab, four persons were swept away by the flood. The bodies of two victims were recovered. In the wake of the emergency, the deputy commissioner of the district announced the closure of private and government educational institutions.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 692 people lost their lives in the monsoon-related incidents from June 15 to August 19.