Karachi experiences heavy showers as city admin on toes

KARACHI: A day after the city administration warned residents to restrict their movement due to the predicted heavy rain, different parts of Karachi experienced intermittent showers coupled with thunderstorms on Friday.

II Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Sarjani Town, Malir, North Karachi, Korangi Industrial Area, Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Manghopir, Northern Bypass, and Sohrab Goth Town are some of the city's areas that have received heavy rain.

Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab posted about the city administration's preparations to avoid any inconvenience to Karachi's residents.

"Apart from pumps, 53 of these suction vehicles have been moved to various locations for clearing rainwater as and when required," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The city's mayor added that apart from traffic police, wardens have also been placed on major arteries to help ease the flow of traffic.

As many as 12 flights of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were cancelled and over two dozen were delayed due to heavy rain and bad weather conditions.

In Karachi, four flights of the national flag carrier were postponed and 16 faced delays owing to heavy showers and other reasons at the Jinnah International Airport.

According to PIA flight schedule, Karachi to Gwadar bound flights PK-503, PK-504 and Sukkur-bound flights PK-536 and PK-537, four flights between Islamabad and Gilgit, two Islamabad-Skardu, and two Islamabad-Sukkur flights were cancelled.

The Sindh government had Thursday declared a rain emergency in the province and decided that offices in Karachi would be open for half a day today, viewing the forecast of heavy rains in the megalopolis.

The provincial government also cancelled evening classes in schools today. The Sindh School Education and Literacy Department, in a notification, said all private and public evening shift schools would remain closed.

The Karachi mayor said the decision for the half-day was taken as an “abundant precaution”. He also requested citizens to avoid travelling unnecessarily to stave off any inconvenience.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz, more rain is likely in Karachi's Gadap, Sarjani and Malir.

“The current spell of intermittent rain is likely to continue till tonight,” says the meteorologist, adding that a short-term cold wave would engulf Karachi following the rains.

Mercury is expected to fall to 10°C during the period, he added.

The temperature is expected to remain between 9 to 10°C after the rainfall in the suburban areas of the port city, the weatherman added.

K-Electric, the sole power distribution company in the metropolis, claimed that the electricity supply to Karachi remained stable amidst intermittent showers throughout the day.

Following the heavy showers, different areas of the port city, including Lyari, Korangi, Landhi, Surjani Town, North Karachi, New Karachi, Liaquatabad and Quaidabad plunged into darkness.

Reacting to the reports, the KE spokesperson said that the power supply to some areas in Korangi and Gulistan-e-Johar has been suspended for “safety reasons”.

The spokesperson said that they were taking measures to restore the electricity in the areas.

Responding to a question, the KE spokesperson rejected rumors claiming rain trip KE 150 feeders.

Earlier, the KE spokesperson, in a statement, said that their teams continued to monitor the situation while field teams remained available to address any faults.

“In accordance with emergency safety protocols, power supply to low-lying areas with a risk of waterlogging and those with a high prevalence of kundas was temporarily suspended.”

“These areas were also gradually being re-energised after clearance from field teams,” read the statement.

The KE spokesperson advised citizens to continue exercising caution by maintaining a safe distance from all electrical infrastructure and avoid using appliances indoors with wet hands or feet as well as those exposed to rain such as water motors.