Life still paralyzed in cyclone-stricken Mekran

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: There is no substantial improvement in the ground situation in Gwadar, Jiwanri and other coastal townships lashed by cyclone ‘phet’ the other day and people had no access to clean drinking water, food and other facilities where they are virtually marooned.

Since the major portion of Coastal Highway is under flood with all the important bridges and culverts washed away, traffic remained suspend on Monday. No vehicle was able to cross the major coastal township using Coastal Highway.

About 80 buses and their passengers are trapped near Belar and the local administration could not reach there supplying them food and water in a desolate place.

In Gwadar, rain water is still stagnant and no Government employee was available to join the efforts to drain out the water from the old township. However, the local people are applying the tactics of self help in improving their living for the day.

Army, Navy and the Frontier Corps Balochistan had dispatched relief supplies to Gwadar and other adjoining townships by air as the land routes are blocked.

The Provincial Chief Minister is expected to pay a visit to Gwadar and some adjoining areas using the executive jet plane or Army helicopter meeting the affected people on the Mekran Coast.

He made this announcement while responding to a debate on the floor of the Balochistan Assembly on cyclone and torrential rains that lashed major parts of Balochistan.

However, the Federal Government had not announced any grant for the affected people after three days the cyclone lashed the Balochistan Coast.

According to reports from Lasbela Coast, five persons lost their lives in rain related incidents in Damb, Sonmiani and Gadani area. Torrential rains flooded all the low lying areas of Lasbela disrupting vehicular traffic on the RCD Highway on Karachi-Bela Section. However, local and public transport provided some relief to the local people on local basis in which the administration had no role.

There are bleak chances that the life will return to normal on Mekran Coastal region or in the Central Mekran range where torrential rains devastated the agriculture, orchards and fisheries on the coast. Most of the dams and seasonal rivers are still overflowing their banks. Ankara Dam was saved from busting as its spillway was opened in time allowing the additional water to inundate its downstream. More than 4000 people were affected as a result of flooding from Ankara Kaur Dam near Gwadar.

Most of the private Bundat, or traditional dams for improvised irrigating land, were washed away as all the major seasonal rivers in Mekran are in high spate increasing their discharge to an unprecedented level.