QUETTA/LAHORE/PESHAWAR – At least 43 people were killed as a result of torrential rains and flooding in different parts of Pakistan.
Moonsoon rains continued in most parts of Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. At least 30 people were killed in Balochistan and 13 were killed in parts of northern Punjab and Lahore while dozens were reported injured.
In Balochistan, the torrential rains played havoc in different districts reportedly killing at least 30 people, including women and children besides destroying thousands of mud-houses in Kohlu, Barkhan and Sibi, rendering thousands of people homeless on Thursday.
Around 30 bodies have been retrieved from flood water while more than 20 people are still missing. Road links, communication and electricity systems of these areas have been badly affected.
According to details, monsoon rains started in Kohlu, Barkhan and Sibi late Wednesday night which continued till Thursday morning that triggered flash floods and damaged big and small dams in these areas.
Official sources said that heavy floods triggered by torrential rains in different channels caused colossal losses in Barkhan and Kohlu districts as several villages were washed away.
Sources said that floods swept away 50 people in Vattakri area of Barkhan.
About 30 bodies were fished out, whereas rescue and search work continued in flood-hit area for remaining 20 people.
Sources said that after breaching of Sakara nullah and Hain nullah several villages in Barkhan submerged with flood water and dozens of mud houses caved in.
‘Two bodies have been recovered from Nar Kot area while 8 bodies have been recovered from Jabarnisa Marri area’, they said and ,added, that eight bodies of women were retrieved from Sakra nullah.
Owing to breach in Tanga Dam, 6 villages, including, Kalkani, Dad Alizai, Azad Shar, Charmani Malik Rasool Khan and Killi Sardar Feeroz Khan were submerged in water in Kohlu.
Road links between Barkhan and Kohlu have been cut off after heavy rains washed away Nardwala Bridge while emergency was declared in Kohlu and affectees were being shifted to safer places.
Commandment Frontier Corps Kohlu Barkhan, Sheikh Amir Fakar told newsmen that bodies of 15 people who drowned in flood water in Barkhan area were retrieved while more than 30 people were still missing and efforts were on to recover them.
‘Contingents of FC have arrived in affected areas for taking part in relief activities’, he said and ,adding, that affectees were being shifted to safer places. However, he said that they were facing difficulties in relief activities owing to damage to roads.
Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said that three helicopters which were ready to take off towards affected areas could not take off due to poor visibility in Quetta.
However, he said that as the weather got clean they would leave for Kohlu and Barkhan. He said that 5,000 families were affected in Barkhan while about 1,500 families were affected in Kohlu.
According to reports reaching from Sibi, three villages, including Machi, Lehri and Tali were affected due to torrential rains in which a woman and a child were killed. Six people were wounded when mud houses collapsed.
However, official sources did not confirm casualty of anybody.
‘About 800 people were trapped in flood and rains water in Sibi in which 200 have been shifted to safe places’, said Commissioner Sibi Division Qamar Masood ,adding, that due to damages to small dams several areas of Sibi district were washed away. He said that flood water was still flowing with full speed causing difficulties in relief activities.
A local journalist told The Nation on phone that after damage to Tali bridge Road link between Tali and Sibi was cut off while about 8 women and children sustained injuries after roof of their houses caved in because of heavy downpours.
Sardar Abdul Rehman Ketheran former Provincial Minister said that heavy rains and floods had caused huge financial and human losses in Barkhan area.
‘Ten bodies are lying in front of me while we have buried two bodies so far’, he added.
He outrightly rejected reports of any relief activity in Barkhan area by the government and said that rains and flood inflicted huge loss to the people of area, as their cattle and houses were washed away.
Chief Minister Balochistan, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani expressed sorrow and grief on losses of the precious human lives in flash floods in Barkhan, Kohlu and Sibi.
He directed local administration to take all measures for provision of relief and assistance to the affected people.
Sources said that Chief Minister has released Rs 3 million for immediate relief in Barkhan, Kohlu and Sibi districts.
Meanwhile in Lahore, the rains started early morning and continued intermittently till noon, submerging roads and streets in urban areas into knee-deep water.
Lahore received 95 mm rain at Airport, 91 mm each at Upper Mall and Baghbanpura, 71 mm at Jail Road, 70 mm at Misri Shah, 60 mm at Shahi Qila and 53 mm at Farukhabad.
Heavy bursts of rains in the morning turned City roads and streets into lakes and ponds. The rains smashed to the ground tall claims of WASA regarding its preparation for the rainy season as it took hours for the premier sanitation agency to clear roads from inundated rainwater. The rains added to the woes and miseries of motorists and pedestrians. Major roads, not only in Northern Lahore but also in several posh localities, were presenting pictures of lakes and ponds even hours after stoppage of rains.
Many roads were not cleared from inundated rainwater even six to eight hours after the rain had stopped.
Many vehicles and motorcycles were seen broken down in various parts of the City. Massive traffic jams were witnessed at major City roads due to inundation of rain water.
According to details, one labourer died while 11 received injuries when the roof of a steel mills, situated near Mehmood Booty Bund Road caved in during rains and as a result they were buried under the debris of roof.
However, rescue services and the staff of Shalimar Town reached the spot and they brought the injured labourers out of debris and rushed them to Shalimar Hospital where a labourer Muhammad Tufail died while doctors told that the other labourers were in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, a 70-year-old man Latif was buried alive when roof of his house collapsed during rain in Shadipura near Daroghawala while his two daughters received injuries and both were rushed to a nearby hospital for first aid.
In another incident occurred in Awan Town, a youngster Zulfiqar was electrocuted when his bicycle was crossing stagnant water on the road after rains.
Rescue sources told that electric wires fell in the water and Zulifqar received sever electric shocks and died instantly. However, police sent his body to City morgue for autopsy.
Roof of a multi-storey house situated near Usman Chowk Data Nagar caved in and about nine persons of a family including Ashraf, his wife Haleema and their seven guests received injuries while the Edhi rescue service rushed all the injured to Mayo Hospital where the doctors said that all the injured were out of danger.
A 80-year-old woman Inayat Bibi received injuries when wall of her house collapsed and the rescue service rushed her to General Hospital.
GPO Chowk, Kashmir Road, Cooper Road, Lawrence Road, Mozang Road, Qartaba Chowk, Empress Road, Angoori Cinema, General Hospital, Railways Station, Kot Lakhpat, Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lakshami Chowk, Garhi Shahu, Baghbanpura, Chowk Nakhuda, Tharenten Road, Revaz Garden, Chuburji, Aziz Road, Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Hameed Nizami Road, Zeldar Road, Ghazi Road, Samanabad, Main Boulevard Iqbal Town, Wahdat Colony, Rehman Pura, Railway Road, Shadbagh, Circular Road, Saidpur, Shahnoor, Scheme Mor, Sabzazar, Abbot Road, Montgomery Road, Gawalmandi, Data Nagar, Abdul Karim Road, Delhi Gate, Masti Gate, Eik Moriya Pul, R A Bazar, Nishat Colony, Tajpura, Mughalpura, Maskeen Pura and Joray Pul were the worst affected areas.
On Thursday, maximum and minimum temperature in the City was recorded at 29 degree Celsius and 23 C respectively. Relative humidity in the morning was recorded 100 percent, which decreased to 81 percent in the evening.
People came out of their houses in the evening to enjoy pleasant weather after the rains. Major parks and picnic spots attracted a large number of people including women and children in the evening. Huge rush was witnessed at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Racecourse Park, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jallo Park and Lahore Zoo in the afternoon.
According to the experts, seasonal low lies over northeast Balochistan and adjoining areas. A trough of westerly wave lies over Kashmir and adjoining areas. Southwest monsoon current from Arabian Sea is penetrating sub mountainous areas of Punjab and Kashmir upto 5000 feet.
Local meteorological department has forecast cloudy weather with chances of more rains for the City during the next 24 hours. Met office has forecast scattered rains for Punjab, Peshawar, Kohat and D I Khan divisions, northeast Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
In Peshawar, as many as 37 houses were damaged, while the affected families were shifted to safer places in and around the provincial capital, officials said.
The heavy rains in Peshawar and in its suburbs have damaged at least 27 houses in the surroundings. These homes have been affected mostly in the worst rain-affected localities.
These localities included Sango and Arbab Landai. Talking to media men here, DCO Peshawar Siraj Ahmad Khan confirmed damaging at least 27 houses owing to severe rain. He said that all the affected families have been shifted to safer places.
He said that in the jurisdiction of Dadhaber area of Sango village situated in suburbs of the provincial metropolis as many as 25 homes have been damaged and unable to be used further. The families living in these homes have been shifted to Sango middle school. Besides, 12 more houses have also been hit and damaged by rain in Arbab Landai.
He said that all the basic facilities would be ensured to these families. He said that restoration work on these homes would start soon. He said that they were ready to assist the affected families.
On Thursday, Mianwali received 179 mm rain, Sargodha and Toba Tek Singh 95 mm each, Jacobabad 86 mm, Garhi Dupatta 56 mm, D G Khan 53 mm, Bannu 51 mm, Faisalabad 47 mm, Sialkot 45 mm, Jhelum 37 mm, Jhang and Palandari 35 mm each, Sahiwal 34 mm, Bhakkar 32 mm, Mangla and Mandi Bahauddin 31 mm each, Multan 25 mm, Balakot and Kotli 23 mm each, Saidu Sharif 22 mm, Astore, Murree and Kamra 21 mm each, Dir 19 mm, Rawlakot 16 mm, Bunji and Hazara 15 mm each, Parachinar 14 mm, Gilgit 13 mm while Okara received 12 mm rain.