Parts of Karachi submerged as rains wreak havoc in different cities of Sindh

KARACHI: Residents of different districts in Sindh — including Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, and Tharparkar — suffered yet another day of prolonged power outages and inundated roads as heavy rainfall lashed southern Pakistan, with the provincial government consequently announcing an emergency.

Sindh government spokesperson Senator Murtaza Wahab announced that Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had declared emergency in Sindh after heavy rains lashed the province.

"Rain emergency has been declared in the province by CM Sindh," he wrote on Twitter.

The CM visited Shahrah-e-Faisal, Airport, and Malir, according to a statement from his spokesperson, and said there was very heavy rainfall, with all low-lying areas flooded.

"I have imposed rain emergency, we're with the people in this challenging time," the chief minister said, according to his spokesperson, and added that he would not leave the people alone at all "in this time of need" after heavy rains lashed the province.

Click here for live updates on rains in Karachi and around the country

The spokesperson said work to drain the rainwater underway near the airport through a vehicle-mounted dewatering machine.

Parts of Karachi started receiving heavy to light rain Tuesday morning, causing traffic jams and difficulties for motorcyclists. A day earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had expressed fears of urban flooding in the metropolis.

Rainwater seeped into cars' engines

Some of the heaviest hit areas in Karachi between Monday night and Tuesday morning included Malir, Korangi, Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Saadi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B. Area, North Karachi, Surjani Town, and North Nazimabad.

At least three-feet deep water had accumulated on Karachi’s main artery — Shahrah-e-Faisal — after water could not be drained from either side of the road. Vehicles were left stranded on the road in water, with many cars breaking down as rainwater seeped into their engines.

With rain also came the dreaded power breakdowns, as electricity supply suspended in many areas of the city as soon as the first drop of rain fell.

There was no power in Garden West since 11am.

Separately, the roof of an accountability court in Karachi started leaking due to the heavy downpour in the city, causing problems for petitioners present in the court.

Landsliding in Gulistan-e-Jauhar

The road leading to Karachi University was also inundated due to the heavy downpour, with rainwater accumulating to a few feet high on the road linking Hassan Square with Safoora Chowrangi.

Residents reported sewage and rainwater entering houses in the Naya Nazimabad and Azizabad Block 2 areas.

In Azizabad, residents complained that sewerage lines were already damaged and the heavy rain made the situation worse.

The heavy showers also caused landsliding in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 3, leading to almost two dozen cars being severely damaged in the parking of a residential building. No casualties were reported and people in the surrounding houses evacuated.

Nearly 80% of Surjani Town forced to relocate

The situation worsened in Karachi's Surjani Town, with almost 80% of the population in the area forced to relocate to safer places as water entered people's homes. The neighbourhood had been particularly hard-hit by rains in last Friday's downpour.

Left to their own devices, Surjani Town residents chose to make boats out of drums and wooden planks.

Making things worse, the Thaddo Dam in Gadap Town overflowed due to the torrential rains, revealing a crack in its structure that caused the rainwater to seep through.

Geo News reporter Javed Imran reports

In Pehlwan Goth, a major portion of the road connecting the Jinnah International Airport caved in, badly affecting the incoming traffic. The ditch, as of reporting time, was at least 4 feet wide and 12-13ft long.

Consequently, in order to prevent any untoward incident, Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel installed barriers surrounding the caved-in portion of the road and rerouted traffic to one road.

Geo News reporter Zeeshan Shah reports

Water inundated the Drigh Road underpart connecting Shahrah-e-Faisal to the Jinnah International Airport.

Rainwater was at least one-foot deep at the start of the underpass, getting even deeper going in. Some cars had tried to enter but ended up being stuck or broken down and had to be pushed outside manually.

The entrance was subsequently blocked by authorities and police officials were stationed at its entry and exit points to stand guard. However, no work to drain the water had started as of reporting time.

Geo News reporter Farhan Ilyas reports

In Karachi's Old City neighbourhood, rain drains had been choked since 20-22 years and rain and municipal wastewater started entering the residential areas.

In Kharadar, on the other hand, moderate to heavy rain continued, turning the roads and footpaths into one. At Quaid-e-Azam's birthplace, Wazir Mansion, the doors to the structure had been barred in a unique manner, with glass barriers installed to keep the water at bay.

The rainwater, however, still somehow managed to seep through.

Overall, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Faisal Base received the highest rainfall, at 125 millimetres (mm), the PMD said.

New monsoon system on August 29-30

On the other hand, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Saddar, Landhi, Old Area Airport, University Road, Nazimabad, Saadi Town, Jinnah International Airport, PAF Masroor Base, North Karachi, Surjani Town, and Keamari recorded 114mm, 83mm, 81mm, 79mm, 77.8mm, 76.6mm, 70.8mm, 65.8mm, 62mm, 49.8mm, 42.8mm, and 21.9mm of rainfall, respectively.

The department further noted that in the 2-5pm time period, Saadi Town registered the highest rainfall, at 19.6mm, while Keamari, Masroor Bas and Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Landhi, University Road, Jinnah International Airport, Old Airport, PAF Faisal Base, and Saddar receiving 14.6mm, 12mm, 11.5mm, 9mm, 8.6mm, 7.8mm, 7mm, and 6mm of rainfall, respectively.

The PMD further underlined that the ongoing monsoon spell was likely to continue till at least Thursday morning. A new monsoon system was expected to lash Sindh around August 29-30, it added.

Hyderabad

Torrential rains lashed parts of Hyderabad, with the showers leaving drains across the city inundated. A few underpasses of the city were also overflowing with rainwater.

Water entered many houses and caused difficulties for residents of the city. Many roads and streets in Hyderabad were left inundated.

Water rising up to three feet outside several hospitals could be seen. In the city’s Latifabad and Qasimabad areas, the localities were submerged with rainwater.

The situation also led to prolonged power outages across Hyderabad.

According to the PMD, Hyderabad recorded 133mm of rain. It warned that intermittent rain showers will continue to hit the city.

Sujawal, Shahdadkot

The continuous rain resulted in water entering buildings, including the SSP’s office and other places.

A similar situation was reported in Shahdahkot, where low-lying areas were flooded due to continuous rain in the city.

The PMD had forecast heavy rain in Duggri, which has already wreaked havoc in the district, flooding shops and residential areas. Nearby villages were flooded due to the persistent rain in the province since last week.

Mirpurkhas

Low-lying areas have been flooded, adding to the residents' woes already suffering from prolonged power cuts due to rain.

Tando Allahyar, Tharparkar, and Thatta

Shops in Tando Allahyar were also flooded, while the torrential rain in Tharparkar, Thatta, and Tando Mohammad Khan left the storm drains overflowing and residents scrambling to get to safety.

KE shuts power in many areas as safety precaution

A K-Electric spokesperson said power was shut down in many areas as a safety precaution. “Due to water entering houses in many of the low lying areas of the city, we have turned off power as a safety precaution,” he said.

The spokesperson added that resuming power during the flood-like situation in the city could be dangerous.

“We are working with the relevant departments to restore power,” the spokesperson said, adding that water had entered installations at Bin Qasim, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and Society.

PMD issues urban flooding warning

The PMD had on Monday said heavy rainfall will continue in Karachi till Thursday, warning that urban flooding could take place in the city.

In its latest advisory, the PMD said rains could hit the southern parts of the city from Monday to Wednesday and upper parts of Sindh from Tuesday to Thursday.

Read more: Weather update: Heavy rains lash Karachi as PMD warns of urban flooding

“Rain/wind-thundershowers, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Tharparker, Nagarparker, Mirpurkhas, Islam Kot, Umar Kot, Sanghar, Sukkur and Larkana from Monday to Wednesday,” it had said.

The department had warned that heavy rainfall may generate urban flooding and waterlogging not only in Karachi but also Hyderabad, Thatta, and Badin.