Continuous rainfall till late night created severe hardships for citizens, many of whom were unable to return home due to suspension of night transport.
With public transport vehicles parked to avoid damage and ride-hailing bikers keeping their motorcycles at home for safety, commuters were left struggling to find a way back. The working women of the city were worst affected as they had to traverse the flooded roads in absence of safe travel.
Several people were forced to spend the night at their workplaces, while others without private vehicles managed to reach home only after taking multiple rickshaws or requesting lifts.
Six-seater rickshaw driver Faisal Arif said intermittent rain has badly affected transport. Waterlogged roads forced many bus, minibus and rickshaw drivers to keep their vehicles parked, fearing engine damage. "I usually operate from Liaquatabad to Orangi at night, but I couldn't take my rickshaw out," he added.
Shoaib Raza, a motorbike rider with a transport app, said his motorcycle broke down in rainwater. "There were plenty of passengers, but due to flooded roads most riders turned back," he remarked. Another service provider, Shariq Tariq, said he lives in Gharibabad and runs a night bike service but was unable to operate due to poor road conditions.
Shazia Bibi, a Liaquatabad resident working as a cook in Nazimabad, said she had to walk home. "I usually get off by 8pm, but there were hardly any rickshaws on the road. Like hundreds of others, I faced extreme difficulty returning home," she said.
Shujaat Ali, an electronics shop worker from Keamari, said he spent the night at his workplace in Moosa Colony.
Rickshaw driver Faisal Shah noted that many vehicles were stuck on flooded roads late at night, leaving citizens stranded. He criticised the government for its absence despite earlier claims of rain emergency preparedness.
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