Railway services have been disrupted for 10 days in Balochistan as heavy rains and devastating floods hit Pakistan. The railway authority remains unsure of the restoration of the train services even after 15 days. Restoration of rail services in Balochistan and other areas of the country seems impossible for another 15 days due to floods in Pakistan. This is ever since the Nasirabad railway track was washed away and the Harak railway bridge was broken. Also, the train operation from Balochistan to Iran has come to a dead end for a month now. According to railway authorities, the repair of the Quetta-Taftan section of the rail track could not be completed despite the passage of a month.
The track was washed away in Chagai on July 29, causing the suspension of the train service to Iran. Similarly, the rail service from Balochistan to the other areas of the country also faced interruption ten days ago after the Sibi-Jacobabad section of the track was damaged in Naseerabad.After the Harak railway bridge collapsed five days ago, train operations ceased altogether, reported Geo News.
The railway official said that it would take at least 3 months to complete the repair of this bridge. While the repair work of the Naseerabad track may take another 15 days, he added. Meanwhile, two more people were killed in rain- and flood-related accidents during the last 24 hours in Balochistan, which has pushed the overall death toll in the province to 250.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed in its report that two people lost their lives, saying the number of deaths since June 1 in the province has shot up to 250. The deceased include 117 men, 60 women, and 73 children. The highest number of deaths was 27 in Quetta, 21 in Lasbela, and 17 in Pishin. Besides, 110 people have sustained injuries in various accidents during the rains in the province.
According to the PDMA report, heavy downpours and flash floods have damaged a total of 61,718 houses in Balochistan. Floods have swept away 145,936 livestock. Meanwhile, standing crops on two lakh acres of land were ruined. The country’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the flash floods have inflicted a loss of at least USD 10 billion on different sectors of its economy. As unprecedented rains have caused devastating floods across the country, Pakistan is set to launch the UN ‘Flash Appeal’ for flood victims.
Over 5.7 million people have been affected in Pakistan as the country faces the worst rain-induced flooding in its history. Sixty-six districts have been officially declared to be ‘calamity hit’ by the Government of Pakistan – 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and three in Punjab. The situation remains dynamic, and many more districts have been affected; the number of calamity-declared districts is expected to rise as rains continue to fall.
(With inputs from ANI)