From Destruction To Rehabilitation: A Tale of Balochistan’s Floods Affected Ragpicker 

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Quetta: As the sole breadwinner for his 13 members’ family, Dil Murad used to earn Rs 200 to Rs 400 per day by collecting rags from trash cans and public dumps as means of subsistence.

He was leading a difficult but happy life when suddenly disaster struck, leaving his family homeless and forcing them to live in a temporary abode while he waited for the water to recede so he could begin rebuilding his damaged home.

“My home was destroyed by the recent downpours and flash floods. For me, my family, and other impacted people who were barely getting by, this monsoon was a nightmare,” the ragpicker remarked as he sat on the shattered remains of his home.

Dil Murad, 48, a resident of Kili Kamalo in Quetta’s outskirts, recalled his ordeal, “I had no idea where to send my family while it was raining, raining, and raining. My already damaged mud-house could not withstand the constant downpour and the raging floodwater.”

He luckily managed to take shelter in a nearby mosque to secure his family.

After several days of misery, he finally found some hope thanks to Islamic Relief, which with the help of the government, has started a “one-room shelter” program for the homeless families affected by the floods.

“I have begun rebuilding my destroyed home after receiving basic building supplies and money from the Islamic Relief. I want to thank everyone who helped me build a one-room shelter. I’m excited to start a new life and rebuild my house,” he remarked.

“It is difficult for flood victims to forget nature’s ferocious pounding and those restless nights but after all, life needs to return to normal against all odds,” Dil Murad concluded his tale of miseries as he laid brick on the wall of his second under-construction room.

Islamic relief is one of many organizations working in the flood-affected areas of Balochistan to provide shelter to homeless flood-ravaged families.

“We have developed a strategy with the assistance of the government and administration to carry out relief and restoration operations in flood-affected communities. In the first phase, we are supplying 4610 households in the districts of Quetta, Qila Abdullah, and Pishin with building supplies and cash for the restoration of their destroyed homes,” said Manager of Islamic Relief Area Program Muhammad Esa.

Narrating his organization’s plan for the second phase, he said that Islamic Relief will support the government in rehabilitation of water supply schemes in Sohbat Pur, Jaffarbad and Bolan districts.

All of Balochistan’s districts were devastated by the recent monsoon and floods, which claimed 336 lives, injured 187 people, and destroyed 225,000 homes. The terrible floods ruined 900,000 acres of agricultural land, killed 500,000 livestock, and wrecked 2221.98 km of road.

Even though 95 percent of the affected areas have had their floodwaters drained, localities of Jaffarabad, Osta Mohammad, Naseerabad, and SohbatPurare yet to be cleared of water.

“Water remains in Jaffarabad and its surroundings, and thousands of displaced families require access to clean water and medical care for ailments like malnutrition and diarrhoea,” said UNICEF Field Operation Chief Scott Whoolery.

“The province lost 200 billion rupees due to the catastrophe. But we are using all available resources to rehabilitate the flood victims. The Balochistan government has already begun implementing a Rs 16 billion subsidy program for affected farmers,” Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudus Bizenjo stated. “With the help of the federal government and humanitarian groups, we are all set to start rehabilitation work in the areas where floodwaters recede after the rescue operation.”

Baloch people depend heavily on agriculture, hence the government offers tractor and bulldozer hours to farmers as part of its compensation policy.

Scott Whoolery said that UNICEF is providing supplies and services to treat malnutrition. “We have set up learning and support psychosocial well-being centres. We feel the situation may take quite some time to return to normal.”

Mentioning the federal government initiatives, PDMA Director Planning Amanullah Rind has informed that a damage survey jointly carried out by Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, PDMA and district administration has been completed.

“A total of 35 teams participated in this survey to evaluate the harm caused by flooding. Post Disaster Need Assessment has started paying out compensation to the victims after the initial survey,” Rind said. As per the policy, the government will give Rs 1 million to the heirs of the deceased, Rs 0.5 million to the owner of completely destroyed homes, and Rs 0.2 million to the owner of partially damaged homes.