QUETTA/ISLAMABAD   -  Rain-triggered floods cuts off Ba­lochistan with Sindh Flash floods triggered by the torrential rains has badly disrupted the road link of the Balochistan with Sindh province, coercing the provincial government to release immediate flood relief funds and set up a control room. 

Due to heavy downpour Sibi-Quet­ta section on the Sukkur-Quetta N-65 Highway was blocked, cut­ting off Balochistan’s link to Sindh, Provincial Disaster Man­agement Authority told media adding that highways connect­ing Harnai to Sanjawi, Gandha­wa to Notal, Sibi to Kohlu, Pinjra Bridge road in Bolan were also blocked. It may be mentioned here that Pinjra Bridge on the River Bolan in Kachhi district is the main point where road traf­fic is struck. In monsoon last, it was swept away and not rebuilt by the National Highway Au­thority despite the passage of over one year.

Adding to the miseries of the commuters, the alterna­tive route temporarily used has been washed away too. As many as 10 people have lost their lives and 13 suffered in­juries in rain-and-flood-related incidents in Balochistan since June 19, PDMA data shared with media read, while a total of 112 houses have been completely and 223 partially damaged.

Responding to the emergen­cy situation, the provincial gov­ernment has released Rs 150 million flood relief funds to the district administration of all 36 districts of the province. 

Moreover, on the directives of the CM Balochistan, a control room has also set up to monitor the relief activities.

Home and Tribal Affairs Min­ister, Zia Lango said, “Efforts are afoot to provide relief to the catastrophe-hit masses of the province.” Rain-wind-thun­dershower is expected at scat­tered places in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gil­git-Baltistan during the next 24 hours, according to the Pa­kistan Meteorological Depart­ment (PMD). Heavyfalls and thunderstorm are likely to oc­cur in northeast Balochistan, Upper or Central Punjab during the forecast period. Hot and hu­mid weather is expected else­where in the country. The PMD has earned that heavy rains may cause flash flooding in lo­cal nullahs of Dera Ghazi Khan, northeast and south Baloch­istan (Zhob, Barkhan, Kohlu, Sibbi, Naseerabad, Musa Khel, Sherani, Harnai, Bolan, Loralai, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Kech, Turbat, Panjgur, Awaran and surround­ing areas) on July 28-29. Heavy rains may cause urban flood­ing in low lying areas and flash flooding in local Nullahs of Is­lamabad/Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Gujran­wala, Gujrat, Narowal, Sialkot, Lahore, Kasur and Faisalabad from July 28-29th and may trig­ger landslides in the vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kash­mir, Gilgit Baltistan and hilly ar­eas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the period.

In Islamabad, partly cloudy weather with rain-wind/thun­dershower is expected with chances of heavyfalls. In Khy­ber Pakhtunkhwa, rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Dir, Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Bun­er, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Hari­pur, Kohistan, Malakand, Pesha­war, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurrum, Lakki Marwat, Karak, Waziristan, Kohat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan. LRains may cause urban flooding in low ly­ing areas and may trigger land­slides in hilly areas.

In Punjab, rain-wind/thun­dershower is expected in Mur­ree, Galliyat, Rawalpindi, At­tock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujran­wala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Kasur, Mianwali, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, Dera. Ghazi Khan, Rajan­pur, Multan, Khanewal, Vehari, Bhakkar, Layyah, Kot Addu, Ba­hawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. 

Heavyfalls may also occur at scattered places during the forecast period and may cause urban flooding in low lying ar­eas, while flash flooding in local nullahs of Dera Ghazi Khan.

In Balochistan, rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kohlu, Zhob, Sherani, Musakhel, Qila Saifullah, Kalat, Khuzdar, Awaran, Sibbi, Harnai, Bolan, Barkhan, Loralai, Naseerabad and Dera Bugti. 

Heavyfalls may also occur at scattered places during the forecast period that may gen­erate flash flooding in local nul­lahs While in Sindh, hot and hu­mid weather is expected in most districts with chances of light rain /drizzle at isolated places in coastal areas.

In Kashmir/Gilgit-Baltistan, cloudy weather with rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Heavyfalls are likely to occur in Kashmir during the period.

During the last 24 hours, rain-wind/thundershower (with heavyfalls at few places) oc­curred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Kashmir, Balochistan, Sindh and Gilg­it-Baltistan.

The rainfall recorded was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Takht Bhai 106 mm, Mardan 94, Saidu Sharif 38, Malam Jabba 19, Ka­lam 14, Dir (Upper 10 and Low­er 04), Bacha Khan Airport, Balakot 01, Kashmir: Muzaf­farabad (Airport 97, and City 88), Rawalakot 23, Kotli 13, Garhi Dupatta 08, Punjab: La­hore (Nishtar Town 65, Tajpura 09, Mughalpura 08, Jail Road 02, Gulberg and Lakshmi Chowk 01), Islamabad (Bokra 35, Zero Point 27, Syedpur 22, Golra 19 and Airport 18), Rawalpindi (Kachhari 48, Chaklala 49 and Shamsabad 25), Attock 47, Si­alkot (City 21, Airport 07), Mur­ree 20, Gujranwala 04, Johar­abad, Toba Tek Singh, Chakwal 04, Multan (City), Jhang, Man­di Bahauddin 01, Balochistan: Khuzdar 19, Mustang 10, Sabi 05, Pashin 04, Kalat 03, Orma­ra 02, Quetta 01, Sindh: Rohri 37, Larkana 23, Mohenjo Daro 20, Karachi 01? Gilgit-Baltis­tan: Bagrot 06, Bunji 05, Gilgit and Babusar 01mm. The high­est maximum temperatures re­corded were Nokkundi 45 C and Dalbandin 42 C.