Gwadar Flood-victims protest over inadequate relief

The Baloch Hal News

GWADAR: Cyclone-stricken masses of coastal District Gwadar continued continued their protest on Friday for the third consecutive day on Friday against the inadequate relief supplies in Gwadar city and all other affected townships where more than four thousands (4000) houses were approximately devastated in the recent torrential rains and cyclone.

According to reports, local residents staged a protest demonstrations in Mor Chowk, Faqeer Colony and some other localities of Gwadar. People expressed serious concern over the insufficient relief operation being carried out by the government.

The protesters blocked various roads for traffic to ventilate their anguish against the inadequate relief work

Most of the people refused to take sum of Rs 5, 000 allocated by provincial Government for each affected family. “The relief work is insufficient and still we are living under open skies owing to lack of facilities,” a victim Rafiq Baloch told Express Tribune through phone.

The protestors also criticized Federal Government for not announcing relief funds weeks after the cyclone and torrential rains. “It was the third flood during the past five years and people did not get adequate relief in pervious government in 2007 and nor the sitting government is taking this cyclone seriously,” he added.

The stagnant water is still threat for the people where flood water is up to the two feet in various places. The hospital sources said around 70 people are suffering from water borne diseases had been admitted to district headquarters hospital Gwadar the other day.

“If immediate steps were not taken to drain out the water from affected areas, the people will face a great risk of outbreak of epidemics at alarming level,” a doctor warned.

Assistant Director of Fisheries Department said that the Provincial Government Department had received 351 applications about destroyed vessels in cyclone ‘phet’. He said it was not final and fishermen are still submitting their applications to the department, he said.

According to local fishermen, more than 500 fishing vessels had been destroyed and over 5,000 houses were washed away or completely damaged all along the coast. There were no report of damage and destruction from Central parts of Mekran region where torrential rains played havoc with property and standing crops.