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Continuous rainfall for 30 hours with little breaks caused havoc in Pakistan’s Gwadar

Heavy rains in Pakistan since Thursday have led to at least 35 deaths and 50 injuries, causing house collapses and road blockages

By Ground report 14 Mar 2024

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Continuous rainfall for 30 hours with little breaks caused havoc in Pakistan’s Gwadar

Heavy rains in Pakistan since Thursday have led to at least 35 deaths and 50 injuries, causing house collapses and road blockages due to landslides, mainly in the northwest. In Balochistan province, five fatalities were reported after flooding in Gwadar, prompting the evacuation of around 10,000 residents via boats.

Gwadar flash floods cause damage

Heavy downpours lasting 30 hours resulted in flash floods causing widespread damage in Pakistan’s southwestern coastal district of Gwadar in Balochistan province. Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister in Balochistan, announced on Sunday that damage had occurred to 700 homes.

According to the predictions of the Meteorological Department, intense rainfall has exacerbated conditions in specific regions, particularly Gwadar, causing floods and subsequent disturbances. Torrential rains caused flooding in Gwadar on February 27th, 2024, submerging several areas including Gwadar city and Sarabandan. The Commissioner of Makran confirmed that heavy rainfall hit Gwadar for nine consecutive hours, resulting in the collapse of structures and the flooding of settlements around Jinnah Avenue.

Eastern Balochistan: Gwadar, the main city of the so-called China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to pakistani politicians and the military, which has been developed over the past 22 years and spent billions rupees on it, was submerged by just 11 hours of rain.… pic.twitter.com/NI88Mhss7M
— Brahag Baloch (@zzbaloch) March 6, 2024

The floods have affected thousands of people. The floods have displaced many. Hundreds have lost their homes and livestock to the floods. Water inundates the agricultural land. The surrounding villages are submerged and disconnected from the main city and highways, making it difficult for relief work and rescue teams to reach them. Notably, Gwadar suffered severe flooding in 2005 and 2010.

Gwadar lacks infrastructure despite investments

Gwadar district, home to a massive modern deep-sea port and connectivity infrastructure under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has seen billions of dollars invested in its development. However, despite being prone to natural disasters, the region lacks functional disaster management and early warning systems.

Comprising four major tehsils - Gwadar city, Ormara, Pasni, and Jivani - the district features a 600-kilometer-long coastline and a population of around 260,000 people within a total land area of 12,637 sq km.

Pazeer Ahmed, a Gwadar-based researcher and hydrologist, highlighted the area's vulnerability due to its low-lying coastal geography. "Sea level rise and increasing underground water levels pose significant dangers," Ahmed noted. He pointed out specific areas like Fazul Chowk and Shaheen Chowk, which are at lower elevations and face rainwater accumulation due to the lack of a functional drainage system. Additionally, Faqeer Colony is situated on a river plain area, further raising concerns.

Yesterday we visited TTC Colony,
It's the 10th day they are still in water!

Can we get a permanent solution for this issue in Gwadar?? Every time we have rain, we suffer! #gwadarflood pic.twitter.com/KyVqQ0cZZt
— Asfia Safia (@genial_asfii) March 9, 2024

Behram Baloch, a journalist told The Wire, “The people of Baloch have long been acquainted with the hardships brought by rains, and Gwadar is no stranger to severe rainstorms, having experienced them in 2008 and 2010. Yet, the government has made no progress in constructing necessary infrastructure or drainage systems.”

He further noted, “The recent downpours have starkly revealed the discrepancies between the government’s developmental assertions and the reality on the ground in Gwadar.”

Four major tehsils or subdistricts: Gwadar city, Ormara, Pasni, and Jivani make up the Gwadar district. The district includes a 600-kilometer-long coastline, a total land area of 12,637 sq km, and houses around 260,000 people.

The United Nations states that Pakistan ranks among the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change, despite the South Asian nation's almost zero contribution to global carbon emissions.