10 dams collapse in Balochistan as rains wreaked havoc

QUETTA: At least 10 dams were collapsed and caused breaches in different districts across the province of Balochistan, due to heavy downpour and flashfloods.

So far 45 people have been killed and over 50 injured in rain-related accidents during last week.

Authorities have issued an alert for people stay away from dams.

The situation has worsened in northern districts of Balochistan, where dams have come under immense pressure due to water torrents gushing down from various mountainous areas.

Emergency declared in Quetta: Rain wreaked havoc, killing 20 people

Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Balochistan on Saturday, causing waterways to overflow and damage the communication system in the province.

Dams breaches

The Tal Dam in Kech district’s Hoshab area was breached after heavy rainfall triggered flashfloods on Saturday. The water entered villages and damaged houses and date orchards.

The district administration rescued the affected families and shifted them to safe locations. According to officials, no loss of life was reported, but a vast tract of land in Hoshab had become inundated.

According to reports from other districts, dams in Qila Saifullah, Toba Achakzai, Qila Abdullah, Chaman, Muslim Bagh, Pishin and Harnai districts either gave way or developed breaches.

In view of the situation, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo ordered the chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into the use of substandard material in the construction of dams that were washed away or damaged.

Life losses

A PDMA report issued on Saturday said that so far 45 people – including women and children – have been killed and over 50 injured in rain-related accidents during last week.

Over 700 houses have been destroyed, while many bridges and connecting roads were washed away in the floods, PDMA officials said.

Flash floods in Chaman damaged fibre optics and shut down banks’ servers, which led to the outage of ATM services and disrupting internet and mobile services in several areas.

Rains in Balochistan and Sindh have exceeded the 30-year record in July this year and the month is not even over yet.

Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman shared figures on Twitter.