10 districts declared calamity-hit after heavy rains lash Balochistan

QUETTA: Heavy rainfall has caused infrastructural damages across Balochistan, bring further misery and destruction to people during the monsoon season.

The provincial government has declared ten districts as disaster-hit. The districts include Loralai, Kalat, Mastung, Kachhi, Sibi, Qila Saifullah, Barkhan, Dukki, Panjgur and Lasbela.

More than 70 people have died during rainfall-related incidents and hundreds of houses have been destroyed. There has also been an outbreak of stomach and intestinal diseases in rain-affected areas.

The Balochistan government has demanded a package of Rs50 billion from the federation to compensate for the losses. It said eight dams, 690 houses, 500 livestock, more than 600 solar panels, five bridges, connecting roads, 16 electric poles and many acres of agricultural land were affected by the recent rains.

Around seven deaths occurred in 10 days after the outbreak of diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) said there is an acute water diarrhea epidemic in 16 districts of Balochistan. In Zhob district, seven people have died of diarrhea and more than 1300 have been infected in the last ten days.

Several rivers have flooded in Sibi and Lasbela districts since the start of second monsoon spell on July 14. At least 10 villages were submerged in Bela Town area of Lasbela as people were forced to leave their homes.

The situation in Sibi and Bolan districts was also worsening as heavy rain continued for the last two days, resulting in flooding in Bolan and Nari rivers. A portion of a bridge connecting Mach with the Quetta-Sukkur Highway has collapsed due to heavy flooding in Bolan River.

The Hub Dam, a major source of water supply to Karachi, has been almost filled to its maximum capacity after the rainfall. Officials said that the spillways will be opened once the dam is filled completely. The dam can supply water to Karachi for three years with the current storage.

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