Heavy downpour, thunderstorm expected to lash Karachi today

SSWMB imposes emergency across Karachi

KARACHI:

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) has imposed an emergency given the ongoing spell of monsoon rain. Issuing these directives on Tuesday, the board’s Managing Director Kashif Gulzar Shaikh directed the Chinese contractors to make necessary arrangements.

Besides, SSWMB employees were directed to assign staff for the drainage of rainwater from roads in East, South and Malir districts. They were also asked to ensure the relevant complaint centres are active.

Shaikh visited districts South and West, and the Gondpas Landfill Site along with SSWMB Executive Operations Director Tariq Nizamani to survey arrangements for cleaning and sewerage.

Local contractors in Central, Korangi and West districts were also asked to accelerate garbage collection and its transfer to landfill sites. The district councils were given the same directives.

The work on drainage of rainwater continued on Monday after the first monsoon rain left water accumulated on roads in many parts of the city. Drainage in district South was carried out using a 4D pump as well.

Despite this, several areas reported traffic jams due to inundated roads.

The complaint centres of the SSWMB are operational 24-hours, claims the authority. Citizens can approach the complaint centers in their respective districts - 021-32314171, 021-35314172 for district East, 021-32744473, 021-32744474 for district South, 021-99333656 for district Malir, and to contact the SSWMB head office, they can reach at 021-99333702 or on the WhatsApp number 0318-1030851.

For weeks, authorities had been discussing initiatives to clean the city’s choked stormwater drains, with a drive to clean out 38 major nullahs being kicked off in the provincial capital last week, just ahead of the looming monsoon season. The campaign, however, launched by Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, is to take 45 days for its completion.

The first spell

As the first spell of monsoon rains struck the metropolis on Monday afternoon, the city was swept into chaos .

The first smattering of raindrops saw the power supply badly disrupted across the city. While sources in K-Electric (KE) claimed the electricity supply was quickly restored in most areas, other neighbourhoods were without power for over eight hours.

Meanwhile, traffic snarled up on major arteries of the city as water began to stand on the streets.

At least nine people were killed and several others injured in separate accidents caused by the first monsoon rain.

More rain expected

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast that heavy rainfall and thunderstorms would batter the city today (on Wednesday) under a system present in the south east of Karachi.

Chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz, however, said that the effects of the system would start fading tonight.

He said that the next spell of monsoon rain would likely be experienced in Karachi from July 15.

The city witnessed light rain indifferent areas on Tuesday. The highest amount of rainfall on the day was recorded at 2millimeters in Landhi.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2020.