housands of families have been left to suffer in the south Punjab, much of which has been hit by flash floods in hill torrents.

Taunsa Sharif is the worst hit city in the region. Most of it remains submerged. Former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar hails from the city. Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Koh-i-Sulaiman, Fazilpur and adjoining areas have all been flooded.

With more rains expected in the days to come, there are fears that an already precarious situation could get aggravated.

Landslides have rocked the areas from Rakhi to Bwata, bordering Balochistan. Earlier in the week, a man, his wife and their two children were killed by landslides in the area. According to latest official figures, 399 people have lost their lives in the floods so far.

Heavy rains continue to pound the Qila Abdullah, Pashin, Qila Saifullah, Daki and Harnai districts in nearby Balochistan. Locals tell The News on Sunday that the Dulangi Dam has broken down in Qila Abdullah and two main bridges and connecting roads have been washed away. They say that many houses have collapsed in recent rains but cannot provide the exact count.

Bustan area of Pishin has been submerged. Bibi Nani Bridge in Machh has seen a high-level flood. Flood water has also entered the 220 KV grid station in Dera Murad Jamali. As a result, power supply remains suspended in the area.

This devastation has taken place on both sides of the provincial border – in the Punjab and Balochistan. People living in these areas are mostly Baloch who speak Seraiki and Balochi languages.

The strategic Punjab-Balochistan Highway was closed for a week on Wednesday due to continuous rains and floods, bringing all trade to a grinding halt.

Quetta-Jacobabad Highway and Lasbela-Karachi Highway have also been closed for traffic. The cargo route near Bab-i-Dosti has been washed away. As a result, Pak-Afghan trade remains suspended.

Salim Nasir Gurmani, a local journalist and a resident of Taunsa Sharif tehsil, tells TNS that 26 deaths have been reported in the area. He says timely rescue operation was not launched in the area by the government.

An overwhelming number of affected people TNS talked to were angry. They said that the sardars they had voted for in Provincial and National Assembly elections had stayed back in Lahore and Islamabad while their people suffered.

Gurmani says that former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar has a large outhouse in Taunsa Sharif. He says living in the open was particularly hard on women for cultural reasons.

Lack of food and safe drinking water was causing health problems for women and children. “The flood victims in Taunsa Sharif are going through the worst period of their lives,” he says.

Riyaz Hussain Jazeb, a local journalist from Dera Ghazi Khan, says that the city has been affected by water flowing down from Koh-i-Sulaiman. He says that flood is also anticipated in the River Indus.

Relief and rescue operations have been intensified, he says, adding that Dera Ghazi Khan faces an emergency situation. With Quetta Road completely closed for all types of traffic, more than 10 kilometres of the road remains blocked with private vehicles left stranded, in addition to trucks and pick-ups.

The flood-hit populations are facing shortage of food, especially vegetables, due to the closure of roads.

Local journalists report that the flood has reached as far as Fazilpur. In a tragic incident, Azim Ali, 18-year-old son of Rasool Bakhsh Kumhar, a resident of Mohalla Railway Colony in Fazilpur city, drowned in the flood water while trying to save his children. The Fazilpur police have handed over the body to the heirs.

Three members of a family drowned in Bambili village of Azin thana in Rojhan. A mother drowned while saving her two children in a nearby locality.

Chief Minister Parvez Elahi has visited Rajanpur, Taunsa and Dera Ghazi Khan. He said all possible measures had been taken to deal with the floods along the hills. He instructed the relevant departments to work in a coordinated manner to help the flood victims.

He instructed the PDMA, Rescue 1122 and local administrations to speed up rescue and relief operations and transfer the necessary machinery from other cities of the Punjab to the affected areas. He ordered that the timely relocation of residents of low lying areas to safe places be ensured.

Elahi announced a relief package for flood victims of Rajanpur, Taunsa, Dera Ghazi Khan, Fazilpur and Isa Khel. These areas have been declared calamity hit. He has called for a cabinet committee for disaster management to be formed and the preparation of an emergency plan for the rehabilitation of roads. Elahi has also instructed the authorities to make necessary arrangements in Dera Ghazi Khan, Taunsa, Rajanpur and Fazilpur in view of the forecast for more rains.

So far, the US and the EU have announced donations for the flood victims. Saudi Arabia has also dispatched relief goods to the affected areas.

Sattar Baloch is the editor of Bethak, a Multan-based Urdu newspaper. He tweets at @sattarmusrani