QUETTA: At least 11 people were killed and over 400 houses collapsed in different districts of Balochistan due to downpour and flash floods over the last one week.

The province remained cut off with other areas of the country as heavy rains and flash floods triggered landslides and damaged bridges, blocking highways.

Officials of the Provi­ncial Disaster Manage­ment Autho­rity (PDMA), Balochistan, said on Monday that Panjgur, Kharan and Washuk districts were badly affected areas as most houses in these areas were destr­oyed by heavy rains which continued falling in these areas for four days, cutting off a large number of villages’ links with district headquarters and rendering hundreds of families homeless.

Officials said that dams in Panjgur, Washuk, Khar­an, Qila Saifullah, Pishin, Lasbela, Hub, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Bark­han, Sibi and Bolan were filled up by rain- and floodwater and spillways of Mirani, Hub and other dams were opened for releasing the extra water, which submerged several villages situated in low-lying areas.

Four straight days of heavy rain take their toll on Panjgur, Kharan and Washuk

“Torrential rains and raging floodwaters broke a dam in Basima area of Washuk district, which badly affected a vast area, destroyed human settlement and rendered a large number of families homeless,” the PDMA officials said, adding that the authority was providing tents, sheets, rations and drinking water to the people marooned by the downpour and flash floods.

The Director General of PDMA, Balochistan, Jahanzeb Khan, visited flood-affected areas of Kharan and Washuk along with elected members.

According to PDMA officials, 11 people were killed in Dera Bugti, Awaran, Qila Saifullah, Pishin, Kech and Nasirabad districts which were badly affected due to rains and flash floods.

“At least 131 houses were swept away in flash floods while 305 were partially damaged and were unfit for accommodation,” the officials said.

Meanwhile, National Highway Authority officials claimed on Monday that Quetta-Sibi Highway had been opened for heavy traffic after a causeway built on the Bolan river was strengthened.

They said that efforts were under way to restore traffic between Balochistan and Punjab through Barkhan-Dera Ghazi Khan Highway as the traffic on the highway has remained suspended for the last couple of days due to landslides at Fort Monroe area.

Met officials said that more rains were expected in different parts of Balochistan next week.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2023