More rain expected over the next 24 hours

Residents of Karachi can expect lightning and rainfall over the next 24 hours, chief meteorologist Riaz Ahmed said on Thursday.

Ahmed also said that the interior parts of Sindh can also expect rainfall within the coming hours.

Humidity in Karachi is currently 64 per cent and the temperature is expected to rise from 25.5 degrees to 36 degrees Centigrade.

Four people were killed and two others were injured in rain-related incidents on Thursday. The wall of Umar Wing Mill collapsed, killing 45-year-old Yarob Khan, also known as Raj Muhammad and 25-year-old Yousuf. Two brothers, Dilnawaz and Asif, were also injured in the incident and were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

According to ASI Daniyal, Yousuf had gone to visit Khan, who was an employee at the mill, when the wall collapsed. Meanwhile, an unidentified man was electrocuted to death at Hoti Market in Nabi Buksh.

The body was taken to Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities and was later shifted to the Edhi morgue. In a separate incident, 25-year-old Khuda Buksh was also electrocuted to death in Bhains Colony, Sakhan.

His family took his body from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre before the legal formalities could be completed.

In anticipation of the rain, Shah Faisal Town administrator Kamal Mustafa imposed a “rain emergency” in the town and directed the staff to remain on duty at their respective offices round the clock. Mustafa said that he wants the town to stay clean during the monsoons, which is why the administration is taking steps to prepare for the rain.

Meanwhile, Landhi administrator Noman Arshad also declared a rain emergency in Landhi. There is a likelihood of a gastroenteritis epidemic after the rain, said Arshad. Residents can lodge their complaints at 35035729, 35031339.

Published in the Express Tribune, July 2010.