Torrential rains devastate Pakistan as hundreds reported killed

By Nasir Aijaz
The AsiaN Representative

 ISLAMABAD: As the power-hungry politicians of ruling and opposition parties of Pakistan remained ‘busy’ in political intrigues neglecting the miseries of the masses, the five spells of torrential rains that started in first week of July, have caused flash floods in urban as well as rural areas devastating almost entire country.

According to the latest statistics, over one million people are badly affected by heavy rains and flash floods in the country, mostly in three provinces – Sindh (436,000 people), Balochistan (360,000 people), and Punjab (119,000 people).

As per the statistics, updated on August 17, 2022, by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 635 people died including 196 in Balochistan, and 1016 people injured while 110,440 livestock perished. People in the affected region are in higher need of shelter, food, and non-food items along with services required for health, education, and protection.

NDMA said 72,500 houses have been damaged/destroyed and more than 2,800 km of roads and 130 bridges have been damaged.

In Sindh, the southern province, 13 districts are worst affected, according to the statistics released by the provincial government on August 19.

According to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, during the last 24 hours (August 18 to 19), various districts received rain ranging from 105 mm to 319 mm while the overall rainfall since July exceeds 500mm.

He added that widespread thunderstorm/rain with heavy to very heavy falls at scattered places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places was expected all over Sindh, therefore flood warning has been issued all over the province.

Chief Minister said that the heavy rains have claimed 166 lives and injured 573 in the province. According to the livestock department 2,849 cattle have perished, 47,399 houses damaged, including 6,489 fully and 40,910 partially damaged, and standing crops over an area of 810,683 acres were washed away/damaged.

Further, over 1200 km of various roads and 18 bridges have been damaged by the heavy rains all over Sindh. The provincial government has declared nine districts as calamity-hit areas and four more districts were being declared.

Chief Minister claimed that 1.053 million people have been affected and 432,658 displaced in Sindh alone.

It is pertinent to mention that the last spell of torrential rains started on August 17 and continued for 36 hours. In view of such a heavy rainfall, it is feared that loss of human lives and property exceeds the data released by the government. Several villages have been washed away by gushing water of rainy rivers and breaches in mud dams in rural areas. The date palm farms, spread over thousands of acres in upper Sindh districts have completely been destroyed. The entire communication system is destroyed while the grid stations in several areas are inundated causing power outage and according to media reports many cities are without electricity since last three days.

Situation may worsen further, as a new spell of heavy rains has been predicted for August 23-24. Beside flash floods caused by heavy rains, the high flood in Indus River is also feared, as all the rainy rivers carrying water of torrential rains in western Khirthar Mountain Range are discharging in it besides the five rivers – three of Punjab province, and two others sold to India by Pakistan in 1960, are discarding water into Indus River. There are reports that India has released the water of two rivers after flood situation, to save its territory.

Thousands of people have taken refuge in schools and other government buildings in affected provinces but unfortunately all those buildings too are flooded by the rainwater. The district administrations have also setup tent-villages but such arrangements are insufficient. Thousands of other people in remote areas are still trapped as their villages are marooned.

As no politician from ruling coalition parties and opposition are seen in the field, the people are comparing them with Roman Emperor Nero. The social media is full of condemnation statuses and pictures of devastation.

‘Nero fiddled when Rome was burning – He was a single Emperor, but in 21^st century, we have many Nero as our politicians, so-called elected representatives remain engaged in political intrigues for lust of power when the nation, overburdened with unprecedented inflation, is devastated by flash floods due to torrential rains’.

‘The prolonged torrential rains across the country have played havoc with the nation, already reeling under the unprecedented inflation but the ruling as well as opposition parties, judiciary and the military establishment are busy playing the Game of Power, which in fact is the Game of Dirty Politics for grabbing the power.’