Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Friday, the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) said that internet and mobile services had been fixed in Balochistan. The country’s communications watchdog went on Twitter to say that services had been fixed in the province.
Pakistan is asking for help from the rest of the world after floods killed nearly 1,000 people and affected more than 30 million people.
Balochistan’s provincial capital was cut off from the rest of the country for a while because of the heavy rains. All kinds of communication lines, as well as roads and air routes, were destroyed.
When the power went out in the city last night, the internet and cell phone services went down, making it harder to help people.
Flights to and from Quetta Airport were also stopped, and a key railway bridge that connected the city to other parts of the country had collapsed.
An employee of Pakistan Railways said that the bridge collapsed early Thursday morning near the Mach area in the Bolan district. This stopped trade with Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. The British built the bridge in 1885, and now the government is making plans to fix it.
Even though the city government has issued a flood warning and told people to call the emergency numbers 03368186794 and 03361187348 if they need help, the top police officials and civil administration can’t be reached because the power went out last night.
Faisal Tariq, an official with the PDMA, said that floods caused by the constant rains had left hundreds of people stuck, but that rescue efforts were underway to get people to safe places.
PTA statement
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that voice and data services have been affected in Quetta, Ziarat, Khuzdar, Loralai, Pashin, Chaman, Panjgor, Zhob, Qila Saifullah, and Qila Abdullah because of heavy rains and flash floods in Balochistan and damage to an optical fiber cable.
“People are trying to solve this never-before-seen problem. PTA is keeping an eye on the situation, and more information will be shared as it comes in.
Nearly 1000 people have died
A report from the National Disaster Management Authority says that 34 more people have died in the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of deaths during this monsoon season to 937, while 1,343 people have been hurt.
The report said that the floods hurt 670,000 homes and killed almost 800,000 animals. It also said that Tarbela Dam was full and that Chashma Barrage was almost full.
National crisis
The ongoing heavy rains and flash floods have caused a lot of damage to people’s lives and property in the country. On Thursday, the cash-strapped federal government called the situation a “humanitarian disaster caused by climate change” and asked the rest of the world to help.
“Even though we are putting together resources to deal with the heavy monsoon flooding, we are painfully aware that there is a distressing gap between the number of people who need shelter right away and the number of resources and rescue operations.
At a press conference in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said, “With 33 million people affected by the disaster, we will need international humanitarian aid to help them get by for now and make sure they have food.”
She said that the NDMA and the federal government were working together to do a needs assessment and send a “flash appeal” to the UN for a humanitarian response to the disaster.
“Our federal and provincial governments are running out of money, and no province or state is big enough to handle a disaster of this size on their own. Once the weather calms down, we also need help with communication, infrastructure, and air support,” she said.
Sherry said that the country had been hit by the “worst humanitarian disaster of the decade,” which cost a lot of lives, property, and ways to make a living.
“Overall, Pakistan got 241% more rain than usual this month, with an increase of 496 percent in Balochistan, 784 percent in Sindh, 172 percent in Gilgit-Baltistan, 56 percent in Punjab, and 33 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” she said, adding that over 900 people had died because of the disaster.
The provinces had told the minister that the need for shelter and help was very high. However, the minister said that the situation was still changing and that the needs assessments were changing every day because it kept raining and flooding. She said that the number of homeless people was growing and that Sindh had asked for a million tents and Balochistan had asked for 100,000.
