Saadi Town once again hit by floodwater

Water level decreasing, say area residents

KARACHI: Fear aroused among the residents of Saadi Town after floodwater started to enter into the vicinity of the town situated in KDA Scheme 33 near Super Highway. The heavy rain reminded the area residents of the deadly flood that hit the town in 2013, which resulted in multiple casualties.

The water that gushed out from a breached wall of Thaddo Dam, Gadap reached Saadi Town by Thursday evening. Similarly several natural stormwater drains and other small dams in Gadap, which include Luth and Veeru dams, also overflew and the water naturally found its way towards Saadi Town.



However, fortunately the water level, despite having inundated every corner of Saadi Town, has not risen to a dangerous level as intensity of the rain system decreased from Thursday. The situation was also kept under control by the rescue work conducted by the Pakistan Navy and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to drain out the water from the locality.

Some residents of Saadi Town told The Express Tribune that at Thursday night they were considering shifting to their relatives' houses in other areas of the city. However, on Friday morning, they noted a visible decrease in the water level and gave up the idea to temporarily shift elsewhere.

Waves rippling in massive amount of water accumulated in Amroha Society near Saadi Town. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

Qamar Ahmed, a resident, said that the situation is not very alarming because the rain has stopped and the water level has been decreasing over time. He added that Saadi Town blocks 4 and 5 were severely inundated, whereas blocks 1, 2 and 3 had normal rainwater just like every other street of the city.

Another resident, Saima Aslam, told The Express Tribune that when the people heard that the flood was coming, they thought that their houses would sink once again like what happened in the horrific flood of 2013. However, later, we came to know that the situation was not that bad, she said, adding that the residents can never forget the calamity which befell on them in 2013.



Talking to the media, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar said that the civic bodies are closely observing the situation in Saadi Town and have already started the drainage work. The mayor also thanked the Pakistan Army and Navy who are helping to make ways for the water to drain.

The societies adjacent to Saadi Town, including Saadi Garden and Amroha Society, were also inundated and rescue work in these areas is also under way. The residents of these area have also been suffering hours-long power breakdown and have requested the power utility company to resume power supply in the area.