At least 41 people, mostly children, died in rain-related incidents, as moderate showers continued to lash parts of Sindh on Friday.
Reports gathered from Badin, Umerkot, Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Shaheeed Benazirabad, Matari, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Dadu, Thatta, Jamshoro, Larkana, Khairpur and other districts revealed that more than 41 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents. As many as 30 people were killed when their mud houses collapsed due to heavy downpour. Others either drowned or got electrocuted in different areas of the province.
According to details, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Shaheeed Benazirabad and parts of Larkana have been badly affected. Several dozen people have lost their lives in the regions during the past three days, while tens of the thousands have been rendered homeless. Most of the people who lost their loved ones, livestock, poultry and standing crops were forced to move to safer places. Hundreds of the people took shelter in the mountainous areas and sandy dunes of Tharparkar and other desert areas. The victims, talking to this scribe, said that no rescue or relief was being provided to them by the officials.
Meanwhile, almost 70 percent of Balochistan is left in lurch as relief efforts made in the wake of devastating rains have done little to alleviate the sufferings of those waiting for immediate assistance. “Out of 34 districts, 26 districts of Balochistan are worst affected by the monsoon rains and flooding,” Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Naseer Ahmad Nasar said, listing the names of districts which continue to receive heavy rains.
They include Kalat, Lasbela, Kohlu, Naseerabad, Panjgur, Pishin, Ziarat, Quetta, Barkhan, Gwadar, Turbat, Kila Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Chaman, Shirani and Loralai.
He said that at least 209 people, including 48 women and 58 children, have lost their lives due to monsoon rains so far. The Met Office said that due to the rain, flooding was expected in the rivers, while the low-lying areas of Balochistan were also likely to be flooded.
The FC personnel have shifted more than 90 families to three relief camps where cooked food, bottled water and first aid were provided to them. PDMA, Pak Army and local administration is making endeavors to reach out to the affected people and provide them ration and other necessities.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned the authorities concerned to take precautionary measures in wake of more rains during the coming days due to another low pressure area (LPA) approaching Sindh from August 23. The LPA over upper Sindh was likely to weaken during the next 12 hours, while another LPA was likely to approach Sindh from August 23. Also, the DI Khan administration has postponed the anti-polio vaccination drive in second block of the district due to heavy rains and floods. Deputy District Health Officer Dr Hafiz Muhammad Gul Farooq Bhetani said, “We had to temporarily stop the second phase of the polio drive in Tehsil Daraban, Tehsil Kulachi and merged areas of Darazinda due to flood situation.”
