QUETTA: Parts of Balochistan remain cut off from the rest of the country, with phone services disrupted and prolonged power outages as rains and ensuing floods washed away not just entire villages but also damaged infrastructure.

Communication systems across the province remain in disarray with electricity as well as gas supply suspended in certain areas.

In Quetta, two poles of a transmission line were washed away, resulting in outages. LPG cylinders have also become scarce due to the gas shutdown.

The historic bridge at Bolan has been completely destroyed.

The Karachi-Quetta highway remains close for traffic, while several other areas across Balochistan have also been cut off with highways and main roads inundated.

As of latest reports, roads between Zhob, Dera Ismail Khan, Fort Mundo, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bolan are still closed.

Mastung paralysed

Forty hours of torrential rain has brought life to a standstill in district Mastung, with parts of the district in northwestern Balochistan still without cellular and phone service.

The rain and ensuing flooding, which has claimed closed to 250 lives in the province, also cut off land routes to Balochistan as well as sweeping away telecommunication infrastructure in parts of the province leaving it disconnected from the country.

On Friday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced that cellular and phone services had been resorted in the province - a day after it was cut off.

However, mobile and phone services remain suspended in Mastung, with low lying areas in the district submerged.

In areas affected by the flooding, villages have been evacuated with most people left with the clothes on their back and the meagre belonging that they could take along as they camp under the open skies waiting for assistance.

The flooding has opened the spillway of the Amach Dam, which has a storage capacity of 1,675,000 m3 (1,358 acre⋅ft). The water has spilled on the roads in the Shamsabad area, destroying hundreds of houses.

Nasirabad is one of the worst-hit areas of Balochistan as overflowing rivers hit dams in Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi and Sohbatpur districts. At least 100 villages were submerged after the Sabri dam was breached.

Helpine

Balochistan remains the most inaccessible region for relief agencies as efforts to get supplies to those displaced by the rains and floods continue.

The government of Balochistan has set up a 24/7 helpline. It can be contacted at 081-111-400-400.

The provincial disaster management authority is also providing periodic updates on its Twitter and Facebook pages. However, unlike PDMAs in other provinces, the Balochistan PDMA does not have a functional website.

The Frontier Corps and the Pakistan Army are part of the relief effort. They have set up medical camps and are distributing ration packs.