QUETTA: The federal government has announced Rs1 million worth of assistance for every household of the deceased in Balochistan flash floods, as the PDMA reported death toll increased to 127 after seven more people were killed over the last 24 hours.

“I have also ordered an increase in financial assistance for damaged houses,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said during a visit to the flood-affected areas in Balochistan on Saturday. “The [relief] work will be further accelerated.

The trip was made to review the damages and relief work after heavy rains in the resource-rich but backward province. Balochistan accounted around half of the total death toll, 300, in the country in floods. The federal government has maintained that it was working with the provincial government to provide immediate relief to the people.

PDMA updates

• 120 killed, including 46 children, 31 women, and 50 men
• Deaths were reported in Bolan, Quetta, Zhob, Dukki, Khuzdar, Kohly, Kech, Mastung, Harnai, Qilla Saifullah, and Sibi
• 70 people injured, including 14 children, 10 women, 46 men
• 13,320 houses damaged
• 565km of four highways impacted
• 11 pulls were damaged at different places
• 23,013 cattle killed
• Farms, solar plates, tube wells, and boring were damaged on land of 1,907,930 hectares

“These are certainly challenging times in which people have suffered huge losses due to floods and torrential rains,” PM Shehbaz said in a series of tweets, “I assured the flood affectees that we will not leave any stone unturned to provide them relief and ensure their rehabilitation.”

The premier, whose visit was delayed due to bad weather, vowed that the people of Balochistan would not be left alone in this hour of need. “Rains broke 30 years record,” he said and announced that Rs250,000 would be given to injured people and Rs500,000 for the construction of damaged houses.

He, along with Federal Housing and Works Minister Abdul Wasay and MNA Khalid Magsi, had visited flooded areas of Bareha, Khari Saifabad, Kot Magsi, Koth Ali, and Mardan.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had sent 32 trucks of relief goods for Balochistan on the directive of CM Mehmood Khan.

Total rainfall (mm) last 24 hours on July 31, 2022 at 0800

Farah Azeem Shah, Balochistan government spokesperson, on Friday said the death toll would range from 107 to 110. But, she added that it could vary because the government was still running a rescue operation.

Lasbela, Jhal Magsi, and Turbat districts were in a critical situation, she said, adding that the government and disaster management authority were trying to reach affected areas for relief work.

More than 70 per cent of roads in Lasbela drowned after dams broke in the area due to a heavy influx of rainwater. She also urged the people to not create hype on social media.

The Balochistan government spokesperson stressed the need for long-term planning to overcome damages as natural disasters could not be stopped.