At least five people were killed as relentless rainfall battered Karachi on Monday, submerging several areas of the city and leaving many without power on the second day of Eidul Azha.
According to the police, four men were killed by electrocution in various areas while one died due to a wall collapse. Further investigation is under way, Karachi Police said.
Despite the Sindh government's claims of cleaning out the city's storm drains, overnight showers caused rainwater to accumulate on roads and in neighbourhoods in scenes reminiscent of the disastrous torrential downpour witnessed in August 2020.
Citizens on social media complained of prolonged power outages and roads turning into "rivers" as #Karachirain trended on Twitter.
According to data released by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), PAF Masroor Base received the highest amount of rainfall (119.5mm) in the past 24 hours followed by DHA Phase 2 (106.6mm), Quaidabad (76mm), PAF Faisal Base (65mm), Orangi Town (56.2mm), old airport area (49.8mm), Gulshan-i-Hadeed (46.5mm), Nazimabad (31.8mm), Jinnah Terminal (29.6mm), University Road (14.8mm), Surjani Town (14.4mm), Gadap Town (9.2mm), North Karachi (2.3mm) and Saadi Town (1.1mm).
Separately, the traffic police said that the Submarine Chowk underpass, KPT underpass, and the one near the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi were closed due to the accumulation of rainwater.
Several areas remained water-logged well into the afternoon after the rain stopped. Sindh Secretariat's Kabootar Chowk was among the areas flooded.
Chief Minister Shah directed all relevant departments to expedite work to address the rain emergency. After a visit to several water-logged areas along with Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab and other officials, he issued instructions to immediately drain the road leading to Jinnah Hospital from Taj Mahal Hotel so vehicles shouldn't face problems reaching the hospital.
He also issued orders to deploy suction pumps across the city to speed up the drainage of water.
He also called a meeting at the Chief Minister House to discuss the situation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was "deeply saddened" by the damage wrought by the torrential rains and that he had had spoken to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
"I am confident that Sindh government will rise to the occasion and bring life back to normal under the able leadership of CM Sindh. Have offered to extend every possible support."
'Don't leave home unnecessarily'
Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon urged Karachiites to not leave their homes unnecessarily and stay away from electricity poles. "Stay away from utility lines poles, wires and nullahs."
In a statement, he also cautioned people to keep their distance from drains and manholes.
Taking to Twitter, he shared emergency contact details.
Heavy rain predicted
Meanwhile, the Met department predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Karachi, Thatta, Badin and Hyderabad.
Chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said the new weather system headed towards the city would last until July 18-19.
Sarfaraz also said that intermittent rain with thunder was also expected in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tando Mohammad Khan. He also warned of a risk of flooding in low-lying areas in Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot.
In an update shared on Twitter around 2:30am, the K-Electric spokesperson claimed that the power supply system within its territory was stable.
"Most areas of the city continue to receive power from more than 1,770 feeders out of 1,900," he said. He added that around 130 feeders were closed as a precautionary measure due to reports of power theft or accumulation of rainwater.
The week-long monsoon spell has already claimed the lives of several citizens. Six people were killed in rain-related incidents on Friday while seven were electrocuted to death on Saturday.
from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/6PAXYQa
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