Phet causes Rs 6-7bn loss in Gwader

KARACHI: Tropical cyclone Phet caused losses worth Rs 6-7 billion in Gwadar as torrential rains in the area were recorded at 370 millimetres, the highest in its history. The fishermen community suffered the most, as their fishing boats were destroyed due to the poor planning of the fish harbour and the local administration, sources told Daily Times on Monday. Torrential rains brought Gwadar’s economy of fishing to a standstill for the last four days.

According to the Gwadar’s initial damage assessment, the port city suffered estimated losses Rs 6 to 7 billion, an official said. About 1,500 to 2,000 houses were damaged due to the heavy downpour causing shortage of medical supplies and assistance, the official pointed out. The cyclone flooded over 100 adjoining villages of Gwadar and affected people have been shifted to the safer places, the official added. The entire Makran coastline, especially residents of Gwadar were facing acute shortage of food items, as only one store opened on Monday to provide grocery items.

The city of Pasni faced the situation and was waiting for the government’s relief assistance, sources said. There were also reports that black-marketing of petrol and diesel was under way in these areas and the commodities had reached unaffordable prices, officials said. The Makran Coastal Highway (MCH) was damaged at two different locations on the Gwadar-Pasni and THE Gwadar-Karachi routes disconnecting the road link between Jewani and more than 50 other villages

Heavy rains have inundated dozens of villages

Occupied Balochistan: QUETTA/KARACHI – A woman was killed and more than a dozen others wounded Saturday as over 80 mud houses were damaged in various areas of Balochistan due to heavy rains caused by cyclone Phet which is moving along the coastline.

Heavy rains have also inundated dozens of villages as unprecedented downpours have triggered flash floods in the region. The downpours that started Friday in different coastal areas of Balochistan continued till Saturday evening and had triggered flash floods backed by harsh winds, which inundated a vast area.
The coastal towns of Gwadar, Jiwani, Pasni and Turbat along with surrounding areas are submerged by rainwater.

A woman died and four others wounded when the roofs of their houses collapsed in Malaband and Pushkan while dozens of other houses also collapsed in Turbat, Pasni and nearby villages, which left 12 people injured.

Sources said several boats were submerged after a dam burst in Jiwani while six villages were also inundated, however, no loss of life reported as people were already shifted to the safer places. Boats anchored at Gwadar Port were also hit by the sea waves causing extensive damage.

Official sources said flash flooding had inundated many parts of Coastal Highway, which cut off link with Gwadar, Turbat and Pasni.

Sources say five fishermen onboard were trapped in the sea as their boat was stuck some 10 km from the Jiwani coast.

A fisherman, Muslim Murad, told media on phone that their boat was trapped in the sea and they were waiting for rescue, adding that evacuation through helicopter was not possible because of strong winds.

On the other hand, the Met Office recorded 370mm rain in Gwadar within 12 hours, setting a new record for the town, while Jiwani and Pasni received 208 and 82mm respectively.

And in Quetta, Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Khan Raisani has announced immediate release of Rs50 million for the relief and rehabilitation of the affected people.

Cyclone Phet has inundated 40 villages of Gwadar, Minister for Fisheries Balochistan told a private TV channel on Saturday. According to the minister, the affected people have been shifted to the safer places.

Cyclone Phet after causing havoc in Balochistan’s coastal areas is moving towards Sindh coastal belt including Karachi, Thatta and Badin and expected to hit the above-mentioned areas anytime on Sunday (today).

The Met Office officials told TheNation that a moderate cyclone is likely to hit Sindh belt. Heavy rainfall and stormy winds gusting to 120km/hour are expected which would create flood-like situation in Karachi, they added.

The severe cyclone has weakened into a tropical storm and located at 24¦N-61¦E about less than 400km from Karachi till filing of this report on Saturday evening.

The system is likely to weaken further before making landfall between Karachi and Pasni on Sunday (with maximum sustained winds 70-90km/hour gusting to 120km/hour) with associated storm surge of 3-5 metres, Met Office told TheNation.

Met Office also predicted thunderstorm and rains for Islamabad, upper Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, lower Sindh in the next 24 hours.

The National Disaster Management Authority claimed on Saturday that some 7,000 people had been moved to safety from low-lying areas close to the southern City of Karachi.

Meanwhile, administrator Karachi Fazlur Rehman has issued orders for transferring financial and administrative powers to all engineers of Works & Services Department in order to enable them to take timely and immediate actions in any emergency condition during rains in the City, while immediate ban has also been imposed on the transfer and posting of engineers

Makran Coastal Highway, which was damaged due to heavy flooding

ISLAMABAD (Agencies) – The port city of Gwadar is still cut off from rest of the country, as the Makran Coastal Highway, which was damaged due to heavy flooding, could not have been reopened as yet.

Although the rain spell ended on Sunday thousands of people in Gwadar town and many surrounding villages including Phelri, Nagor Sharif, Pushkan, Chit Kalmati and Faqir Colony are waiting for aid, as rainwater has not been drained as yet.

The district administration with the cooperation of Pakistan Navy, Coast Guards and FC has started construction work at the various routes leading into Gwadar. The power supply resumed in the district but there was no electricity in Pasni for the second consecutive day.

Meanwhile, Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry Monday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Communications that the recent cyclone affected section of the Makran Coastal Highway would be re-opened within four to five days after the necessary maintenance work. He said the cyclone had damaged the Gwadar-Pleri-Jeewani section from two points for which the repair work was in full swing.

The committee meeting chaired by Senator Zahid Khan was also attended by Dr Muhammad Ismail Buledi and Salahuddin Dogar.
The NHA Chairman claimed that most parts of the coastal highway remained safe despite the heavy rain just because of the quality of construction work, adding that the two parts stretching 200 to 300 metres were affected after the release of water from Akhorri Dam’s spillways, while 10 to 12 km road were damaged by the rainwater.( Baloch Warana News)

Baluchistan coastal areas has been strongly hit by the cyclone Phet

Occupied Baluchistan: The Baluch National Front in a statement said that Baluchistan coastal areas of Gwader, Jeemurri, Panwan, Pishkan,Paliliry Gunz, Pasni, Shabi, Turbat, Dasht, Thump, Mand, Awaran, Lasbela, Sonmiyani, Gaddani and Hab has been strongly hit by the cyclone “Phet”. The statement also condemned the government for not taking precautionary steps to insure the security of people saying that “the government knew weeks earlier that Baluchistan’s coastal belt was in danger of flood but they did not make any essential arrangement for the safety of peoples’ lives and properties”.


According to BNF statement several houses and shops have collapsed due to torrential rains and heavy flood. Several bridges and road have been washed away due to which road connections with Makuran have been cut off; people are stranded in coaches and suffering form thirst and starvation. Thousands of Baluch are living under open sky in a time when more rains are expected.

The statemen further alleged that Pakistani gunships are busy carrying out a military operation in Makuran instead of helping the victims of flood. The so called elected representatives are living in save houses of Islamabad and in the posh region of Karachi. They said that Baluch have been facing Natural and state disasters from past 60 years, hence they are trying on their own to overcome this disaster as well.

They said that the International community should take notice of Pakistan’s continuing atrocities in Baluchistan and for ignoring the Baluch flood victims. The BNF statement also strongly criticised Pakistani electronic media for not reporting about Baluchistan flood affected areas. They alleged that when there was water on the road of Karachi the media (TV channels) were showing it again and again and covering every moment and development of the rain but in Baluchistan thousands of properties have been flooded and the Pakistani media is completely silent.

They BNF & Baloch Kumakkaar appealed all those Baluch who have not been affected by the flood to go to the rescue of their brothers and sisters and help the “Baluch flood victims” in every possible way that you can.(Baloch Warna News)