Floods devastate different parts of Balochistan

As a new wave of monsoon rains continued to hit parts of Pakistan, particularly Baluchistan, at least six other deaths were reported on Sunday —four in Lasbela and two in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab, while hundreds of people remained trapped after losing their homes due to flooding.

Lasbela DPO Dostain Dashti told Media that the bodies of four unidentified individuals that had been washed out of the Hub River were recovered which experiencing heavy flooding caused by torrential rains in its catchment areas. The bodies were placed in the care of the Edhi Foundation, he said. The death toll in Baluchistan reached 194 when four more bodies were recovered.

Officials reported that Kohlu received heavy rain throughout Saturday night, which flooded much of the district, forcing many people out of their homes while flood waters penetrated many villages and destroyed their mud-built homes. Seasonal rivers in Kohlu overflowed which washed away many roads disconnecting dozens of villages with district headquarters.

“We do not have access to these flooded villages because the mountainous areas of Kohlu district continued to get heavy showers all night long,” said Kohlu Deputy  Commissioner Qurban Magsi.

As a result of the heavy rain, hundreds of people, including women and children, were blocked in the affected areas, but some families were able to reach safe places.

Massive destructions are occurring in the flooded villages of Kohlu. People have lost their homes and other goods in the flood waters,” a senior Levies official told the media.

In Lehri, the river overflows and water flows into at least eight villages, sweeping mud houses and forcing many families to stay beneath the open sky. They have not yet been rescued by the authorities.

“The Lehri River carries 134,000 causes of floodwater and the flow of water was steadily increasing because of the incessant rains,” said a senior official of the irrigation department. The Lehri River also affects the Nasirabad district and the Rabi Canal near Dera Murad Jamali.

“Because of the floods, the villagers’ livestock and other domestic items were washed away,” said Mir Durak Domki, an elder of the Domki tribe. The situation in Jhal Magsi and the Gandawah district has returned to gloom after another wave of precipitation.

In Nasirabad, heavy rains continued over the last eight hours, wreaking havoc in the region and damaging houses.

 “We are working hard to save the affected,” said Nasirabad deputy commissioner Muhammad Hussain.

At the same time, the road connection between Balochistan and Sindh via Quetta-Karachi and Khuzdar-Ratodero could not be re-established despite a 48-hour passage following a rainstorm that washed away large portions of both highways.