Dams have burst in Balochistan, leading to about 60 deaths as monsoon floods create havoc in Pakistan. Simultaneously, boats are being used on the flooded roads of Karachi. Power outages have affected hospitals and traffic jams stretched to over six hours as people stepped out of homes on the occasion of Eidul Azha.
By Imran Ali Baloch
Monsoon rain has caused flooding in major cities across the Pakistan provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. 57 people have died due to the floods in Baluchistan. In most cases they were swept away by flood waters from burst dams. 48 have been injured. Many people arrived at hospitals with injuries due to buildings crashing down.
Much of Balochistan, including its capital city Quetta has been without electricity for five days. Prolonged power outages have also affected the functioning of hospitals where people arrived with serious injuries.
Many roads in Karachi’s low-lying areas resembled rivers as the Pakistan navy brought out boats to help stranded people. In the city’s north, homes were inundated with flood water from the Malir river. One city official said that the flooding was aggravated because of a clogged drainage system.
In both provinces, people have been held in traffic jams for over six hours in some places in Karachi.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast more rain and also warned of cloudbursts in the next two days. Karachi has already recorded more than 300 mm of rain in 72 hours so far.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab tweeted that a high water levels were delaying pumping water out of the the city’s MA Jinnah Road, a major thoroughfare in central Karachi.
Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s minister for climate change has said that “The appalling condition of the city’s multiple roads following torrential rains forced calling in of Pakistan Army for draining out accumulated water,”, explaining that the two provinces are going through high levels of rainfall on a 30-year average.
Officials of the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority have confirmed that the rains have affected 12 dams across the province, of which three burst due immense water pressure leading to flash flooding. People have been swept away by the dam water.
Image: Via Twitter.
