Surprise rain drenches Karachi; six dead

KARACHI: A sudden cloudburst caught the people of Sindh, especially the provincial metropolis, by surprise on Saturday where six people were killed and nearly 70 wounded in rain-related incidents. Central and northern parts of the country also received sporadic downpour.

In Karachi, the rain caused traffic snarl-ups and power breakdowns in many neighbourhoods of the city. Five domestic flights were also delayed in the city, where 54mm rain was recorded. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rain in parts of the country over the next two to three days.

Residents of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Korangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Saddar, PECHS, Clifton, DHA and Cantt Station reported power breakdowns in their areas as soon as the downpour began.

According to K-Electric’s communication chief Fakhar Ahmed, over 250 feeders initially tripped but most of them had already been fixed by the evening. “All of Karachi is good to go and we had no major blackout,” he claimed.

Severe traffic jams were also witnessed at the major roads of the city while traffic movement remained extremely slow in general due to accumulated rainwater on the roads.

The newly-inaugurated cattle market of the city also turned into a pool of sludge as strong winds blew away tents, leaving herds of cattle unprotected. The situation in the less privileged blocks was far worse.

According to the Met Office, more light rain or drizzle with occasional thunderstorms are expected in the metropolis during the next 24 hours. It said the maximum temperature is expected to remain in the range between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius with 70 to 80 per cent humidity.

The monsoon rain also returned to Jamshoro, Tharparkar, Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Nawabshah, Sanghar and other districts.

According to the Met department, the highest amount of rain among these districts was recorded at 25mm in Tharparkar’s Chachro taluka. “Dust or thundershower with gusty winds are likely to occur at scattered places in Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta,Larkana and Hyderabad divisions,” it said.

Rain also crippled routine life in Lahore, leaving several low-lying areas submerged. Power breakdowns were reported in several areas, as more than 70 feeders of the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) got tripped.

Although the staff of Lahore’s City District Government, Water and Sanitation Agency, Lahore Waste Management Company and many public representatives remained in the field, Saturday’s rain exposed government’s preparations to deal with the situation.

In Multan, a youth was killed due to electric shock at Samejabad. According to Rescue 1122, the victim was on his rooftop during rain when he received electric shock.

Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and five others were injured in Rawalpindi in a rain-related incident. The heavy rain that continued for hours on Saturday also caused traffic jam on the Islamabad Expressway from Zero Point to Faizabad.

The rainwater also swamped corridors of Polyclinic’s outpatient department and a hostel building and caused great inconvenience to the patients visiting the hospital and the healthcare staff.

Torrential rainfall, coupled with strong winds, battered several parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) including Mirpur.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2016.