A CATASTROPHIC flood had hit the area of Turbat severely on June 26, 2007, resulting from a cyclone known as Yem Yin that originated in the Bay of Bengal. But the recently-built Mirani Dam has caused the destruction to be many times greater than the previous flood.

As a result, some five union councils have been severely affected; most of them are situated on the bank of the River Kech.

The flood had also destroyed public property badly and had rendered some 50,000 people homeless. In the early days they were shifted to camps and government buildings.

For one year a majority of the people have stayed in camps but now commuting for their livelihood daily has become an issue as they are paying much more for transportation. So they have started shifting back to their previous abode.

Some 20 per cent people are still living in camps in Turbat. A few NGOs have done water and sanitation work there, but today they are not given education, food and health facilities and are often denied electricity supply which the company disconnects from time to time. Their water supply stopped for weeks. They are facing a lot of trouble but no NGO and government departments are paying heed to their plight.

The provincial government has announced that they would provide 150 acres of land to the flood affected people. Sources said that the government had requested the Gwadar Development Authority to make residential plan on that land.

Further we came to know, through reliable sources, that the GDA's engineers have completed their work on the said project and have handed it over to the DCO, Turbat. The work was completed some nine months ago but still there is no initiative taken to help the displaced people.

At a public gathering of an NGO in Turbat, DCO Jawaid Shawani had announced the said scheme. He also announced the building of a protection wall at the southern banks of the Kech River to protect the people of the Union Council Koshkallath and the Union Council Gokdan, and that he had informed the public that the scheme was approved by the provincial government. But since that almost two DCOs have been changed in Turbat.

We would like to request the chief minister of Balochistan, the prime minister and the president of Pakistan to save the lives of the people and ensure their children's health and education.

NASIR ALI SAJJAD
Turbat