Urban flooding alert for Karachi, Hyderabad as more rain expected on Thursday

A low-pressure system is predicted to enter Sindh from the Bay of Bengal, according to Met Office

KARACHI:

A fourth spell of monsoon rains is expected to hit Sindh later this week, causing heavy downpours and urban flooding in Karachi and Hyderabad on Friday and Saturday, stated an advisory issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday.

According to the PMD, a low-pressure system is predicted to enter Sindh from the Bay of Bengal, pushing strong monsoon winds towards Balochistan on Thursday evening and leading to heavy rainfall in Sindh and east Balochistan.

The PMD further stated that many districts in Sindh would witness thunderstorms. The areas predicted to receive rain in Sindh include Thatta, Badin, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jamshoro, Dadu and Shaheed Benazirabad.

Meanwhile, some areas of Sukkur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Ghotki, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella and Awaran will also witness heavy rainfall, which may cause flooding in the mountainous streams and nullahs in Khuzdar.

The Met Office has advised all relevant authorities to remain on high alert for the expected downpour.

The previous monsoon spells this year caused severe flooding in Karachi as well as other cities of Sindh, as well as prolonged power outages and traffic jams.

Last month, the PMD had forecast that the country would receive 10 per cent extra rain than normal during the monsoon season this year.

In a statement on Thursday, the Met office said Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir may receive 20 per cent more downpour than normal. Similar sort of warnings and messages were sent to the provincial governments last year before the arrival of the monsoon season.

Last year, around 27 people died due to rain-related accidents in the two days of relentless rainfall in Sindh, the vast majority of them in Karachi. Most deaths were caused by electrocution or homes collapsing on residents.