Severe floods in Balochistan lead to infrastructure collapse, cessation of relief aid

GWADAR: The province of Balochistan in Pakistan, due to heavy rainfall all through the past week, now faces a severe flood situation.

The already deteriorating situation of the Baloch community now faces an even more critical threat. The already bad condition of infrastructure in Balochistan has prevented relief aid from reaching the people.

As of now, Baloch rights organisations and social workers are the only ray of hope for the people. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in a social media post 'X' stated that "Baloch Solidarity Committee leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and other colleagues are currently in Gwadar and are giving details regarding the flood situation".

https://twitter.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1763881107794071573?s=20

The post further stated, "After reviewing the situation, the Baloch Solidarity Committee team has said that the situation in Gwadar after the flood is more worrying than expected, and the negligence of the state institutions has made the situation more serious. While the people of Gwadar are removing the flood water from the houses and the city with your help and helping their people."

"Dr Mahrang Baloch has said that currently, people in Gwadar are in dire need of medicine, doctors, nursing staff, water extraction machines and basic food. Baloch nation should reach Gwadar without any delay to help their people and send necessities to Gwadar" the social media post stated.

According to a report from prominent Pakistani news outlet Dawn, officials said Gwadar district received around 180 millimetres of rainfall over the past two days, disrupting normal life and rendering hundreds of people homeless. Several dozens of human settlements and commercial establishments collapsed as floodwater entered houses, while roads were badly affected. Traffic could not be restored between Karachi and Gwadar due to damage caused to the coastal highway.

The same report further stated that floodwater entered houses, forcing families to flee to safer places. "We have lost our precious households in the floodwater and our houses were not in a position to live in," Hayatullah Baloch, a resident of Gwadar, told Dawn over the telephone".

The sewerage system of the port city choked as floodwater entered it and sewage water was flowing on roads and streets. There is no water drainage system available in Gwadar and only a few pumps are working to dewater the flooded areas.

The water supply system was also badly affected and people were facing a shortage of drinking water. The Gwadar-Peshkan road and several dykes in Surbandan, Jewany, Palery and other areas have been washed away.