KARACHI: A powerful monsoon system formed in the Arabian Sea caused heavy rains in various parts of Karachi late on Sunday, claiming the lives of two youth.
According to the police, a woman and her three-month-old daughter fell into a flooded drain in the Buffer Zone neighbourhood while passing through on a motorbike. The woman was rescued in an unconscious state, and a search for her daughter was initiated.
In a second incident, lightning struck 16-year-old Raju Sheikh in the Goth Ali Mahar neighbourhood of Malir. He was immediately taken to a nearby private hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. After which his body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
The much-feared monsoon rains wreaked havoc on the city, inundating all major thoroughfares and causing severe traffic jams for hours.
Rainwater flooded Shahrah-e-Faisal at various points, slowing traffic movement. Rainwater also hampered traffic flow on Drigh Road. University Road in the Safari Park area was completely flooded, halting traffic for hours due to the presence of large potholes.
Rainwater also flooded Nipa, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, and parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The situation in District Korangi deteriorated after most of the district’s localities were flooded. Korangi No 1 and its surrounding areas were inundated, and the damaged roads brought traffic to a halt. Imran Athar, a citizen, was driving from Korangi to Shah Faisal when he became stuck in the rain for several hours.
Parts of Rashid Minhas Road were also submerged, halting traffic for hours. Rainwater accumulated at Shafiq Morr, slowing traffic movement, but Nagan Chowrangi remained open.
According to the traffic police, the Submarine Underpass was closed for traffic due to the presence of rainwater. Meanwhile, rainwater impeded traffic movement on Korangi Road.
Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab told the media that rainwater did not accumulate in large quantities at any point in the city, while the traffic continued to move. He stated that as a precautionary measure, heavy machinery had been deployed along various city thoroughfares, particularly in low-lying areas.
Wahab said the local government’s workforce was on standby and monitoring the situation. He pointed out that the storm water drains of the city were working normally, saying that Sharea Faisal and all the other thoroughfares were clear.
According to the Pakistan Metrological Department’s (PMD) data, the highest amount of rain in Karachi was recorded at 59mm in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, followed by 34mm in Quaidabad, 32.8mm in Orangi Town, 31mm each at the Jinnah Terminal and in Saadi Town, 29.5mm in the old airport area, and 23.5mm in Korangi.
Moreover, 23mm of rain was recorded on Shahra-e-Faisal, 20mm in Nazimabad, 18mm each at the PAF Base Masroor and in North Karachi, 16mm in Keamari, 15mm in DHA, 12.5mm at the Met Office on University Road, 10mm in Gadap Town, and less than 3mm in Saddar and in Surjani Town.
Residents of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Scheme 33, Malir, Quaidabad, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Landhi, Clifton, Defence, II Chundrigar Road, MT Khan Road, Keamari, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas, among others, complained of power breakdowns. In some areas, electricity was restored after a while, but some were still without power until the filing of this report.
According to K-Electric, power supply to most areas of the city continued during the current spell of rain. The KE spokesman said power was being supplied to the city through 1,750 of the 1,900 feeders.
He said that around 150 feeders had been shut down for safety, mostly in the areas with a high concentration of kundas (illegal connections) and electricity thefts. He requested the citizens to maintain a safe distance from all the electrical installations, and advised them to register their urgent complaints through KE’s call centre (118), social media channels, KE Live app, and SMS service (8119).
