QUETTA: Following hill torrents and flash floods, nine districts including Jaffarabad and Naseerabad in Balochistan province have been declared calamity hit, DawnNews reported.
Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps (FC) have launched joint rescue and relief operation for the calamity victims.
Meanwhile, data compiled by the provincial government shows that about 14 people have died, twelve were injured, as many as 7,361 people affected, crops on 3357 acres of land destroyed while 1227 houses were completely damaged and 1439 were partially damaged.
Gigi Dam in district Sibi has caused huge losses in Nasirabad after flash floods reached Dera Murad Jamali main bazaar and other areas.
The Balochistan government has sought the help of Army and FC to rescue the rain-victims in Naseerabad district, APP reported
On the directives of Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani, the provincial government asked the Commander Southern Command to provide helicopters and boats to help the trapped masses and shift them to safer places.
Balochistan focal person on floods and Secretary Information Technology Akbar Hussain Durrani said that 11 district including Qilla Saifullah, Lorali, Zhob, Shirani Musa Khail, Khuzdar, Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad, Naseerabad, Dera Bugti, Sibi and Lasbella were badly affected by flash floods and heavy downpour.
Durrani said that restoration of damaged portion of roads was government's top priority.
He added that Quetta-Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan Road and Quetta-Lorali-Dera Ghazi Khan Road linking Balochistan with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa has been restored while work is underway on the Och National Highway Road in Notal to restore road that connects Balochistan with Sindh.
Dispelling the impression about the lack of preparedness and failed strategy of the provincial government to avoid losses after the bad experience of 2010 floods in Balochistan, he said that it was precautionary measures and prudent strategy has averted huge losses in recent spate of unprecedented rains in Balochistan.