Thousands of flood-affected people in Balochistan are still homeless while scarcity of food, water and medicine is major issue as monsoon rains are yet to hit the country with its full swing in coming months.
Reports "Rapid Assessment of Turbat Flood and Disaster Response Balochistan" has highlighted the miserable conditions of life of the inhabitants of worst affected districts in Balochistan namely Ketch (Turbat), Sibi, Nasirabad, Kharan and Khuzdar.
Reports say that after June 23 and 24 when torrential rains along with tropical cyclone 'Yemyine' hit coastal areas of the country and parts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP); situation got equally worst like that of tragic earthquake on 8 October 2005. It adds that estimated 1.2 million people across Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP got homeless and were badly affected of which 0.8 were in Balochistan alone.
As many as 44 casualties were reported from 26 percent accessible areas, 21 people were reported missing, most of public/ private infrastructures destroyed and large number of livestock died in the district Kuzdar. Report revealed that unknown 42 dead bodies were found in different areas of Nal, Hurri and Jahoo of district Awaran.
Two lakh fifty thousand people got affected ie 50 percent of population in district Ketch (Turbat). This area faced shortage of food supplies due to road closures as most trade was done on localised level with Iran. Outbreak of dysentery and scabies were other major problems observed.
Livestock loss, fields destroyed, commodities washed away, skin diseases caused by dumping of dead animals near residential areas and unavailability of sanitation facilities and psychological shocks along with lack of basic healthcare services were main issues in nine worst affected villages of the district namely Kosh Kalat, Malik Bagh, No Kalat, Ali Abad, Zar Gifth, Khan-e-Pusht, Sothkhel-e-Bazar.
In districts Sibi and Naseer Abad estimated loss was mostly of similar nature with slightly less intensive nature and need was urged for co-ordinated relief programme in term of providing shelter, food, drinking water and medicine at the earliest to rain-flood affectees before series of monsoon hit them once again.
In district Kharan due to breaking of walls of dam "Arri Karlag" and over flow of floodwater in Main River "Kullah" many villages were lashed disconnecting the district's telephone and road connections. Threat of gastro-enteritis, malaria and enteric fevers were feared as more then half of district's population was left homeless.
In the very district standing bumper crops of onion, watermelon, sorghum, melon and other fruit-vegetable have been fully destroyed by heavy flash flood water. Report was prepared by Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO), District Core of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Health and Rural Development (HARD) and other non governmental organisations, which stressed for immediate and co-ordinated relief program before rains hit them back again.
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