On Thursday, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted six cities and towns in Balochistan claiming the lives of 24 individuals and injuring more than 300. The devastation caused was quite severe as roofs and walls of mud brick homes collapsed on families as they slept. This is an extremely tragic and unfortunate calamity as most of the deceased were women and children. Reports suggest that the death toll is feared to increase.
According to the seismological centre, the epicentre was located near Harnai at a depth of 15 kilometres. The most severely impacted area is the district of Harnai, where landslides blocked some roads, hampering rescue efforts. The authorities are also contending with phone and electricity outages after pylons were damaged. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has stated that the rescue operation had been completed and the provincial administration will extend all possible cooperation to those affected by the calamity. As is always the case, the security forces reached the district swiftly for rescue and relief efforts as army doctors and paramedics assisted the civil administration with necessary medical care.
At this point in time, rehabilitation efforts must be the priority. It is very encouraging to see a big operation underway involving the army, levies, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and aid agencies to provide food and relief supplies to the impacted population. Alongside security institutions, the government should also seek the assistance of CSOs going forward as these rehabilitation efforts will be ongoing for a while. Help from the development sector will be especially helpful when it comes to assisting women and children on the ground.
Balochistan as a province has been suffering as it is from underdevelopment, an electricity coverage crisis, water and food security issues. Taking into consideration the serious damage to life, property and infrastructure that has come about as a result of this earthquake, a lot will need to be done to cushion the blow of such a calamity.
