THE recent heavy rainfall all over Balochistan has left tens of thousands of people homeless. The worst affected was Mekran division where thousands of people were trapped in heavy floods awaiting rescue and had been without food and shelter for days. Crops on thousands of acres were inundated and destroyed, while livestock perished by the thousands.

The provincial authorities state that the flood level this year was much higher than the 2007 flood. The authorities should have become wiser after that catastrophe and taken measures to strengthen the banks of dams and dykes before the rains, but alas, this was asking for too much.

After the downpour, landlines, internet connection and electricity in many districts were down and there was no communication because mobile phone networks stopped working. In Turbat district, the Kech Kour bridge, which connects dozens of villages with Turbat city is on the verge of collapse.

The worst is over and Balochistan is limping back to normalcy, but the federal government should step forward and declare the province calamity-hit. Islamabad should also take immediate measures to rehabilitate the flood affected people.

Salam Buledi
Turbat, Balochistan

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2019