GWADAR/QUETTA: Severe rains caused mayhem in Gwadar, Kech district, and other areas of Balochistan. They also blocked off Gwadar as well as Ormara from Karachi alongside other regions of the province, halting regular traffic and activity on the Coastal Highway.
In regions affected by the rain, the Gwadar district government has declared a state of emergency. Paramilitary personnel have been requested to assist the district administration in providing rescue and relief efforts for the impacted population.
After 2010’s severe rains brought on by a cyclone, this was the district of Gwadar’s heaviest rainstorm. Over 100mm of rain fell in 12 hours in the coastal district, according to Met authorities. The roofs and boundary walls of numerous mud homes collapsed in various locations, despite the fact that no casualties have been reported from any rain-affected parts in Gwadar as of yet.
According to officials, rain that began late on Monday night lashed the port city and neighboring villages nonstop for 12 hours, resulting in urban flooding. Many hundreds of individuals lost their homes due to flash floods. The town of Gwadar’s roads were like ponds as floodwaters inundated residential and commercial sectors.
In areas affected by rain, the Gwadar district administration proclaims a state of emergency.
Rahim Bakhsh, a local of Mullah Band, near the Gwadar port, told Dawn, “We have about four feet of floodwater gathered in our residences and we have no area even to sit.” He said that floodwater has also engulfed Faqir Colony and a number of other communities.
Many fishing boats that were anchored off the coast of Gwadar were either completely destroyed or submerged in the water. The majority of the highways and inter-district connections were destroyed by the floodwaters, cutting off Sarbandan, Pasni, Jewani, and Ormara from Gwadar.
Gwadar, Turbat, and other areas were cut off from Karachi, according to officials, when a section of the coastal roadway that connected Gwadar port with Karachi and other areas washed away.
The Akra Kaur Dam has been filled to capacity, and spillways have been opened to release floodwater and preserve the dam’s structural integrity, according to officials from the irrigation department. According to officials, the spillways of the Turbat-Mirani dam have opened and the dam has also reached its full capacity. A dam management official told Dawn, “The dam is intact and its structure is not in danger.”
In addition to Sharif Maindad, the chairman of the Gwadar Municipal Committee, and other relevant officials, Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Aurangzeb Badini visited the impacted areas and initiated rescue and relief efforts.
Parts of the province capital, Quetta, were submerged on Tuesday due to the ongoing torrential rainstorm that began on Sunday night. Rainwater seeped into communities, especially in impoverished sections, and a swollen stream endangered communities outside of the city.
