Balochistan Declares Urban Flooding Emergency

The government of Balochistan has declared an emergency due to rain and flooding in 25 districts. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 18 more people died and many others got hurt because of heavy rain continuing for three days. Since Friday, more than 55 people have died due to lightning and heavy rain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, five people died in Lower Dir, four in Khyber, and two each in Swat and Dera Ismail Khan. One person each died in Manshera, Battagram, Mohmand, Charsadda, and Bajaur districts on Monday. Most people died because roofs collapsed during heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The continuous rain and flooding closed roads in many districts. Heavy rain in the upper parts of the province caused medium-to-high-level flooding in Kabul, Panjkora, and Swat rivers.

The Meteorological Department issued a warning of high floods for areas of Nowshera district near the Kabul river and its branches for the next 48 hours. They also said there would be more rain because a strong westerly wave is expected to come to the upper parts of the country on Tuesday night. It might rain or have thunderstorms from April 17 to 21 in many districts of the province.

On Monday, Upper and Lower Chitral district also received a heavy snowfall, which is rare.

The Balochistan government declared a rain and urban flood emergency in at least 25 districts of the province because heavy rain and thunderstorms killed and injured many people.

Public department staff leaves were canceled to help with rescue operations and other services to people affected by floods.

Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, said that the education department has extended Eid holidays for two more days in districts getting heavy rain.

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti reviewed the situation with other officials due to heavy rain. Hamza Shafqaat, Quetta Division Commissioner, said that Quetta had received 156mm rain over the last three days. Over 200 employees were sacked for not doing their job well during heavy rain. Mr. Shafqaat said that encroachment on 82 nullahs in and around the provincial capital blocked the flow of rainwater. The Quetta Metropolitan Corporation and PDMA started an anti-encroachment drive to bring these nullahs back to their original size.

Routine life affected

Even though it didn’t rain in Quetta on Monday, overnight rain caused severe problems as many areas and roads of the city were flooded. Main roads and footpaths were submerged, making it hard for people to move around.

The whole city looked like a river because the sewerage system and rainwater channels were blocked. Jinnah Road, Kandahari Bazaar, Liaquat Road, Zarghoon Road, and even the red zone area had two to three feet of water.

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Hanna Valley and Nawan Killi areas were badly affected, with flash floods entering houses and damaging mud houses and roads. Similar situations were seen in Panjgur, Dalbandin, Zhob, Sherani, Ziarat, Musakhail, and Barkhan, where mud houses were damaged, and traffic was disrupted.

Thankfully, there were no reports of any loss of life in the province. The Meteorological Office warned of heavy rain and thunderstorms expected from April 17 in Gwadar, Washuk, Kach, Panjgur, and Chagai areas.

NDMA to coordinate with provinces

The prime minister expressed condolences for the lives lost and instructed the National Disaster Management Authority chairman to coordinate with provinces and provincial disaster management authorities. They were tasked with sending relief items to the affected areas.