A city under water

Torrential rain causes widespread flooding across Karachi

KARACHI:

The city was still reeling from the monsoon rains earlier this week when it was deluged once again on Thursday, leaving what appeared to be the entire city under water and hundreds of people stranded.

Sparing no one, the rain, which began early in the morning, and the ensuing flash floods deluged much of the metropolis, with Surjani Town, New Karachi, Shafiq Morr, North Karachi, Ayub Goth, Yousuf Goth, Nusrat Bhutto Colony, Nagan Chowrangi, Orangi Town, Korangi, Landhi, Gadap Town, Malir, PECHS, Mehmoodabad, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Quaidabad, Gulistan-e-Johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Defence Housing Authority and Clifton, faring worst.

As it rained relentlessly, for hours, people saw their houses and other property get destroyed, and water surging into their homes. Meanwhile, the water remained there, pooled, standing up to at least three feet, submerging localities, streets and roads.

Consequently, scores of houses were flooded in neighbourhoods across the city. Notably, Mehmoodabad and Korangi nullahs overflowed, flooding nearby settlements, highways, roads and alleys.

Meanwhile, all seven of the city's underpasses, which had to be closed for traffic, were inundated by rainwater and the situation worsened to such an extent that taking motor vehicles to the roads was no longer a possibility, with even rescue vehicles finding themselves stuck in the accumulated rainwater.

So, as much as the sight of boats on II Chundrigar Road and in several marketplaces and low-lying areas was novel, it was not surprising. Neither was the reality of seeing containers, put in place for the security of Muharram processions, afloat on MA Jinnah Road and near Tibet Centre, where water pooled up to at least four feet.

Meanwhile, power outages spanned the city, further drowning it in misery and darkness as the electricity supply was suspended to over 900 feeders, ostensibly to ensure safety in the submerged areas. A K-Electric statement added that the rising water levels had also impacted several substations, grid stations and power plants.

Finding itself in the midst of accidents, flooding, power outages and chaos, the city was left paralysed, with citizens unable to do much apart from lambast the provincial and local government over their performance and inability to resolve drainage issues.

In Orangi Town, residents were stranded as the Orangi nullah overflowed. Karachi Commissioner Sohail Rajput stated that 10 affected families had been rescued by the district administration and shifted to safety, along with several people stuck in Kati Pahari. He added that as many as 10,000 people stranded in West, Malir and Central districts were being served food at their homes and at relief camps.

The army and navy also continued relief operations in the city, with the former establishing flood emergency control centre as well as medical camps in Gulberg, Liaquatabad and New Karachi. Army engineers also shored up and constructed bunds to avoid flooding, and used boats to shift stranded residents to safer places.