QUETTA: After being disconnected from land following heavy rainfall, the aviation authorities have also suspended flight operations to and from Quetta airport, ARY NEWS reported.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has suspended all its flight operations for Quetta after the aviation authorities faced technical issues following heavy rain and floods.
According to sources privy to the matter, after disruptions in PTCL and other networks owing to floods, the aviation authorities faced difficulties in radar system and communication facilities.
On Thursday, train service between Balochistan and other parts of the country was suspended after a British-built railway bridge collapsed near Bolan’s Machh town, ARY News reported on Thursday.
According to details, the railway bridge collapsed in Balochistan’s Bolan district due to heavy rains and flash floods, which wreaked havoc across the country.
The collapsed bridge is located between Machh and Kolpur at Hirak in the mountainous Bolan valley. All passenger trains were stopped in Quetta and Jacobabad after the collapse of the bridge.
Meanwhile, torrential rains and flash floods swept away a gas pipeline in Machh town near Bolan district. The gas supply to Machh town has been suspended after the pipeline was washed away.
Multiple highways connecting Balochistan and its capital have also been washed away in unprecedented rainfall and flash floods and the province remained the most affected and neglected area during the nationwide torrential rainfall.
At a March council meeting in the Russian city of Voronezh, local deputy Nina Belyaeva condemned her country’s invasion of Ukraine and described the Russian military’s actions as a war crime.Within weeks, she was accused of “spreading false information” about the army — a violation of wartime censorship laws that can lead to a long jail sentence. Belyaeva, 33, avoided arrest and fled to neighboring Latvia. Since then, she has not only been arrested in absentia by the Russian authorities, but was last month added to a terrorism list for criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin.“When you understand the scale of the bombings, you cannot remain silent,” the deputy from Russia’s Communist Party told The Moscow Times in a phone interview. “I heard aircraft noise [in Voronezh] and I knew that the civilian airport was closed — I knew that any flying aircraft was a military one.”Over six months since the start of Russia’s invasion in February, thousands of people have been charged under laws punishing criticism of the war. But there appears to be little logic behind prosecutions and it is not just opposition figures and politicians on the receiving end — journalists, artists, musicians, school teachers, archaeologists, DJs, doctors and single mothers have also been targeted.
In total, Russia has opened more than 3,800 administrative cases for “discrediting” the Russian army since censorship laws were passed in March, according to the OVD-Info protest monitoring group.
More seriously, there are dozens of active criminal cases for repeatedly “discrediting” the Armed Forces and at least 90 criminal cases have been opened for “spreading false information,” OVD-Info said.
The punishment for those found guilty of "discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces is a fine of up to 1 million rubles ($16,467), with repeat offenders liable for prison sentence of up to five years; while those convicted of “spreading false information” can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.Like Belyaeva, many Russians have left the country due to the threat of long jail terms.Facing up to three years in prison for “spreading false information” about the Russian army, Siberian regional assembly deputy Helga Pirogova fled to neighboring Georgia last month.Pirogova, 33, was charged over a since-deleted tweet criticizing the mother of a dead Russian soldier who praised the authorities over arrangements for her son’s funeral.In a recent interview, Pirogova said a criminal case was the only thing that “could squeeze her out” of the country.
“I didn’t want to leave Russia. I still don’t want to and, to say the least, I can’t make peace with it. I have no desire to,” she told media outlet Meduza. But activists and those involved in politics are not the only ones to have been targeted under the new laws. Sometimes, those charged have not even made anti-war statements. Alexei Argunov, a philosophy and history teacher from the Siberian city of Barnaul, was fined 30,000 rubles ($484) last month for “discrediting” the Armed Forces after reacting to a post on Russian social network Odnoklassniki with an emoji.Argunov put emojis under three war-related posts, ironically adding a sad smile under news about a local official who was fined for stating his opposition to the Russian invasion.“It’s dangerous to express your opinion. People are not safe,“ Argunov told The Moscow Times in a phone interview. In other examples, teacher Irina Gen, 45, received a five-year suspended sentence earlier this month for “spreading false information”; a DJ in Russian-annexed Crimea was jailed for ten days for "discrediting" the army after playing a Ukrainian song in a karaoke bar; archaeologist Yevgeny Kruglov, 46, was arrested after being accused of "spreading fale information" on social media; and Dmitry Chistyakov, a former spokesperson for Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry, faces a fine of up to 50,000 rubles ($826) for “discrediting” the Armed Forces. Russian Orthodox theologian Andrei Kuraev was fined 30,000 rubles ($484) this week under the same law.
While these censorship laws have been used many times, there is still much uncertainty surrounding the exact definition of “discrediting” the Armed Forces and “spreading false information.”
Irina Gen, a teacher from Penza.Photo from the personal archive of Irina Gen
Russia’s Justice Ministry apparently has compiled a special guide stating that “a negative opinion” is viewed as “discrediting,” while “a statement of fact” is considered to be “spreading false information,” the Kommersant newspaper reported earlier this month. Either way, the laws appear to have been designed to be vague enough that almost anyone can be targeted. “We can definitely say that the laws are military censorship,” said Alexandra Baeva, the head of the legal department at OVD-Info. “Spreading any information that contradicts Russian official statements [about the situation in Ukraine] is punishable.” The first person to be sentenced to a long jail term under the wartime censorship laws was Moscow municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov, who was given seven years in prison last month. Gorinov’s crime was to question whether it was appropriate to hold an art competition for kids in his constituency while — as he put it — "children are dying" in Ukraine. He denied his guilt and held up a placard in court that read: “Do you still need this war?”
Opposition leaders Ilya Yashin, 39, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, 40, who were arrested for allegedly "spreading false information" about the Russian army, are currently in jail awaiting trial.
The former mayor of Yekaterinburg and another prominent Kremlin critic, Yevgeny Roizman, was detained Wednesday on criminal charges for repeatedly "discrediting” the Russian Armed Forces.
Moscow municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov in court with a placard that read "Do you still need this war?"Anatoly Zhdanov / Kommersant
Along with politicians, journalists are also one of the largest groups to have been targeted, with at least 14 criminal cases for “spreading fakes” about the Russian Armed Forces opened against reporters, according to lawyer Stanislav Seleznyov, a senior partner at the Net Freedoms Project.
Russia’s Interior Ministry placed investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov on the federal wanted list after he was accused of “spreading false information” in March. Journalists Alexander Nevzorov and Michael Nacke and Conflict Intelligence Team founder Ruslan Leviyev have all been accused under the same law.
In total, over 200 people are currently facing criminal prosecutions for voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine, according to the tally kept by OVD-Info.
These criminal and administrative prosecutions have gone a long way toward silencing criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine, according to Seleznyov. “Every news report about yet another criminal case or fine for discrediting the army and spreading false information cools public discussion,” he said.Yet despite the unprecedented crackdown, Russians continue to oppose the war.“It was unbearable for me to understand that people [in Ukraine] were being killed and maimed and I couldn’t do anything,” Belyaeva said from Latvia.
People seen in an inundated street of Jinnah Colony, Latifabad in Hyderabad on August 20, 2022. APP
The situation has worsened after continuous driving rains triggered flash floods in Sindh, leaving routine life disrupted, Geo News reported on Thursday. The entire province is awash with flash flood-caused devastations from Sukkur to Hyderabad, particularly in rural areas.
Areas which received light, moderate and heavy rains include Tando Allahyar, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Mirpurkhas and Badin. More than 400 mud houses collapsed as a result of recent showers. Over 10,000 people were displaced from villages inundated under rainwater.
Heavy rain caused the inundation of the low-lying areas in Tando Jam where buffaloes drowned up to their necks under accumulated rainwater. Hyderabad, which has been submerged in rainwater for several days now received 101 millimetres of more rain during the last 24 hours.
The water from the nearby canals deluged the localities in Nawabshah, leaving residents trapped in their houses. The Nawabshah airport has also been closed owing to heavy downpours.
The situation in Kandiaro is also bad. The breach in the Pano Aqil canal has widened to 300 feet, leaving over 400 houses affected and deluging thousands of acres of land.
In Sukkur, the roof of a portion of the Deputy Commissioner's office caved in. Several streets, roads and localities are still inundated under rainwater even after a week. Boats are being used for commute.
Water could not be drained from markets and commercial areas in the city.
Heavy downpours that lashed Dadu for at least 21 hours submerged everything under rainwater in the city.
The water level rose due to constant showers at Zero Point in the Badin district, allowing the water of the canal to pass over the bridge.
In Thatta also, rains have impacted the daily life and animals. Even the government buildings have been affected owing to the rains.
Sindh sets up relief fund
Amid a dire need to help flood-hit people, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, in a televised message, urged philanthropists to come out and help the affected people of the province which is “enduring a catastrophe like never before.”
Sindh government has announced the Sindh Flood Relief Fund for affectees of the ongoing torrential rains and flooding in the province, a notification issued by the provincial finance department read.
The fund has been initiated to seek financial support for victims in the province hit hard by extreme weather patterns.
Donations for the fund will also be made through net monthly salaries of ministers including Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah, PPP's provincial assembly members, advisors, CM's special assistants, Parliamentary secretaries, officers, and officials.
“We are trying to arrange tents, mosquito nets, beds, edibles, medicines, and other items for affectees,” he said, ensuring the provision of all essential items within a few days.
"Philanthropists, welfare organisations, and donor agencies should visit Sindh to assess the situation and provide support to distressed people," he said, also requesting affluent citizens to come forward to support victims.
Motorcyclists passing through rainwater accumulated at Kazi Qaiyoum Road after heavy rain in Hyderabad. — APP/File
More than 1.9 million people have been affected in Sindh due to heavy rainfall.
PDMA says 263 deaths have been reported in Sindh, including 120 children and 35 women.
Met Office says well-marked low pressure located over east Rajasthan likely to approach Sindh tonight.
Above-normal rain in Sindh, which has flooded hundreds of villages and low-lying areas in cities and towns across the province, has disrupted routine life and led to the deaths of hundreds.
In view of the misery caused by the rains and the latest Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) advisory, the Government of Sindh on Tuesday announced the closure of schools and colleges across the province for two days.
The move followed the Board of Intermediate Education (BIEK), Karachi, announcing the postponement of exams scheduled for August 24 and 25.
Meanwhile, due to the "rain emergency" — as put by the Sindh government — the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) wrote a letter to National Disaster Management Authority seeking the army’s assistance to the civil administration.
Rain affects 1.9 million people in Sindh
A report released by the PDMA has noted that more than 1.9 million people in Sindh have been adversely affected due to heavy rainfall.
It said that 263 deaths were reported in Sindh, including 120 children and 35 women and 30,150 cattle died in rain-related accidents.
Meanwhile, a total of 701 injuries were reported across Sindh, including 144 children.
The PDMA also said that approximately 104,000 houses were completely destroyed while the infrastructure of 225,677 houses was damaged.
A view of damaged houses at New Nazar Colony after heavy rain in the Larkana. —
Army comes to rescue
Amid country-wide flooding, Pakistan Army troops are busy in rescue and relief operations in flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), rescue and relief efforts are underway in Hyderabad, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Jamshoro, Noshero Feroz and various other districts of Sindh.
Special army helicopters were flown from Karachi to affected areas of interior Sindh to speed up rescue and relief efforts.
Food supplies are being distributed in affected areas and medical aid is also being provided to the affected people.
In Punjab, Pakistan Army helicopters have assisted civil administration in the distribution of relief goods for flood-hit people in far-flung and inaccessible areas of DG Khan district.
FC KP troops are also assisting civil administration in flood relief operations in Chitral and other flood-hit areas.
PMD forecasts more rains
The PMD released an advisory earlier in the day forecasting more rains in the country during the week.
The Met Office said that a well-marked low pressure located over east Rajasthan, India, is likely to move in the northwest direction and approach Sindh tonight.
“Due to this strong weather system monsoon currents are penetrating in southern and upper parts of the country,” the PMD warned.
Under the influence of this weather system:
More rain-wind/thundershowers (with scattered heavy to very heavy falls) are expected in Sindh, south Punjab, south and northeastern Balochistan from August 23-26 with occasional gaps
Rain-wind/thundershowers (with isolated heavy falls) are expected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan from August 23 (night) to 26 with occasional gaps
Moreover, heavy rains may generate urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Tando Jam, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Naushahro Feroz, Larkana, Jaccobabad and Sukkur on August 24 and 25
Announcement was made by Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah.
Mehran University, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Campus Khairpur will also remain closed.
Decision taken in line with the forecast of Pakistan Meteorological Department.
KARACHI: All government and private schools across Sindh will remain closed on Thursday (August 18) amid warnings of heavy rainfall.
The announcement was made by the Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah late Wednesday evening.
The minister said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has instructed the department to announce a holiday for schools.
Earlier, several private educational institutions had already announced that they would remain closed on August 18 amid the deteriorating situation of the city's roads due to the rains.
Moreover, Mehran University and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Campus Khairpur will also remain closed tomorrow.
It should be noted that several areas of Karachi reported heavy rain today afternoon as citizens brace themselves for more rain forecast in the port city till August 19.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has told authorities to remain on high alert in its latest forecast on the torrential monsoon rains and urban flooding in Sindh and Balochistan.
The downpour continued in various areas of the city, including Malir, North Nazimabad, II Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Liaquatabad, M.A. Jinnah Road, Numaish Chowrangi, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Shahra-e-Faisal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and adjacent regions.
Some fights have been cancelled and bullet train services delayed, with rainfall expected to worsen in Tokyo and areas north of Tokyo later in the day.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Meari made landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.
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Tropical storm Meari has unleashed heavy rains on Japan's main Honshu island, heading northward toward capital Tokyo, according to Japanese weather officials.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Meari made landfall in Shizuoka Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, on Saturday afternoon, bringing sudden heavy rains and blasting winds, and prompting warnings about mudslides and flooding.
More than 72,000 people in the area's main city of Shizuoka were told to evacuate due to possible landslides.
Meari, packing sustained winds of up to 72 kilometres (45 miles) per hour, passed over Shizuoka and was traveling at a speed of about 20 kilometres (12 miles) an hour and was expected to continue northward before veering eastward, swinging over the Pacific Ocean by early Sunday.
The Tokyo area was hammered by periodic downpours starting late morning. Warnings on high waves in coastal areas were issued for Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, and other nearby areas.
The authorities warned against going near rivers or other water bodies, as the levels may rise suddenly. Rainfall was expected to worsen in Tokyo and areas north of Tokyo in the evening, they said. Warnings on flooding, strong winds and heavy rainfall were issued for the Tokyo area.
Japanese media reports showed video of rivers rising perilously, almost reaching bridge decks, as rain splashed down on homes and people scurried in the streets, clinging to their umbrellas.
Japan is in the middle of the Bon summer holidays, and vacationers are traveling in droves but some have had to cancel or change plans.
The Rock in Japan Festival 2022, which began a week ago in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, canceled the event for Saturday, the final day of the outdoor festival, and promised ticket refunds.
All Nippon Airways has canceled some local flights in response to the storm. Low-cost carrier Skymark Airlines also canceled some flights. Bullet train services were delayed, and speed limits in tunnels in Shizuoka were temporarily lowered as a cautionary measure. Sections of the Tomei Expressway, which connects Tokyo with Nagoya, were temporarily blocked off because of the heavy rainfall.
Northern Japan has had some heavy rainfall lately, and worries were growing about landslides. Rainfall was forecast to subside by early Sunday in the Tokyo area, but then it will hit northeastern Japan.
The world’s third largest economy has often seen deaths and injuries caused by seasonal storms and torrential rainfall that damage dams, blow off rooftops and bring down power lines.
The metropolis may witness heavy showers on August 13 and 14 under the prevailing monsoon system.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal are penetrating central and lower parts of the country.
A westerly wave is also present in the upper and western parts of the country, it added.
The PMD said that rain-wind/thundershower is expected in most parts of Sindh, Balochistan, while at isolated places in Kashmir, south Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Heavy falls are also likely in Sindh and Balochistan on Friday.
The Met Office added that rain-wind/thundershower is expected in most parts of Sindh, Balochistan, while at scattered places in south Punjab, however at isolated places in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday. Heavy falls are also likely in Sindh and Balochistan during the period.
The PMD warned that heavy rains may generate urban flooding in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas during August 12-13.
It further said that flash flooding is expected in Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Barkhan, Kohlu, Mosa Khel, Sherani, Sibbi, Bolan, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Turbat, Panjgur, Pasni, Jiwani and hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan during the forecast period.
In this undated photo, a road is seen submerged under rainwater. Photo: APP
KARACHI: Most areas of Karachi received rain and thunderstorm late Friday night, Geo News reported.
The areas which received driving downpours include KDA Chowrangi, Board Office, Numaish Chowrangi, Nagan Chowrangi, Shahra-e-Noor Jahan, Powerhouse, UP Morr, New Karachi, North Karachi and Surjani Town.
KDA Chowrangi, Board Office, Numaish and Nagan Chowrangi got inundated under rainwater. Several roads including Godhra Road, Powerhouse and UP Morr were submerged under water. The sewerage nullah at Saleem Centre also overflowed.
The University Road is still waterlogged.
Due to the current wet spell in the metropolis, the Board of Intermediate Education (BIEK), Karachi has postponed the examinations scheduled for today (August 13).
Meantime, the Met Department has predicted that the rains will continue in the port city till August 14. It said the low pressure of the air in the Arabian Sea has become more intense. The city will be lashed with strong winds also.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the metropolis may witness heavy showers on August 13 and 14 under the prevailing monsoon system. The Met Office said the monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal are penetrating central and lower parts of the country.
A general view shows the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, situated in the Russian-controlled area of Enerhodar, seen from Nikopol in April 27, 2022. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Concerns have mounted after the British Ministry of Defense echoed accusations from the Ukrainian military that Russian forces are using the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine to fire at military positions across the Dnieper River, but Western officials have downplayed the danger.
Russian forces are probably operating in the regions adjacent to the power station and have used artillery units based in these areas to target Ukrainian territory on the western bank of the Dnipro river,” UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in its latest update on the situation in Ukraine. “Russian forces have probably used the wider facility area, in particular the adjacent city of Enerhodar, to rest their forces, utilizing the protected status of the nuclear power plant to reduce the risk to their equipment and personnel from overnight Ukrainian attacks.”
The MOD’s assessment echoes accusations made by the mayor of the Russian-occupied town of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, who said in late July that Russia was using the plant as a fortress. “They (Russian forces) know very well that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will not respond to these attacks, as they can damage the nuclear power plant,” Orlov told Ukrainian broadcaster Espreso TV.
A mixed picture: On Thursday, Western officials downplayed the likelihood of intense combat in and around the nuclear power plant.
“Russia might use the site as a safe zone, from which to carry out defensive operations. Ukraine will consider very carefully how to avoid taking major risks around the site,” the officials said.
“The area of the site itself of nuclear power plant is too small an area to be very significant in terms of an advance. It could always be surrounded or bypassed by Ukraine,” the officials added. “It's a consideration and something that people need to be careful in their planning around but is in no way going to prevent an advance.”
The MOD's concerns come after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the situation at the plant was “completely out of control.”
Grossi said he was trying to put together a mission, with the support of the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, to visit the plant, but explained actually going was a “very complex thing,” because “it requires the understanding and the cooperation" of the Ukrainians and the Russians occupying it.
Some background: Russia seized the plant, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, in the early days of the war on March 5. A week later, on March 12, a team of officials and technicians from Russia's state nuclear agency, ROSATOM, arrived on site to help manage the plant and help with repairs, Ukraine's nuclear agency, Energoatom, said.
The situation at the plant has remained complex ever since, with Ukrainian and Russian staff working alongside each other. Communications between the plant and the IAEA has been intermittent.
Military operations in the area, with an announced Ukrainian counter-offensive to take Kherson have made the situation even more volatile, the IAEA has said.
While Western officials understand some of the IAEA's concerns, they “don't think [the situation] is as dire as it is necessarily been painted in the media at the moment.”
The officials went on to explain that plants like the one in Zaporizhzhia are built with multiple safeguards in place. “So please don't think that we're looking at Chernobyl like situation, that's not the case,” officials said. “We think overall, the circumstances of that site are still okay.”
CNN reached out to Rosatom for comment but has yet to hear back.
Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain in the metropolis today.
According to chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz, the monsoon system is affecting Sindh and heavy rain is expected in Karachi between 8 and 9am today while heavy rain may continue intermittently throughout the day.The highest amount of rainfall received during the last 24 hours was in Quaidabad (4.5mm), followed by Saddar (4mm), Korangi (3mm), Gulshan-i-Hadeed (3mm), PAF Masroor base (2.4mm), Orangi Town (2mm), University Road (1.5mm), PAF Faisal base (1.5mm), Keamari (1.4mm), Jinnah Terminal (0.8mm), DHA Phase 2 (0.6mm), North Karachi (0.6mm) and old airport area (0.6mm), data from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) showed.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said it had been "raining constantly" in Karachi since early morning.
"However, the situation so far has been under control. All main roads and underpasses remain clear for traffic. Water piled up on the side of the roads will be brushed out," he said.
