Intermittent heavy showers pounded Karachi on Tuesday, triggering widespread urban flooding that inundated major roads and left countless commuters stranded. Rainwater also entered homes in various low-lying areas across the port city, including Sharea Faisal, II Chundrigar Road, and residential neighborhoods near the airport. The downpour exposed the city’s fragile infrastructure, with a resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar lamenting that even a “little amount of rain” was enough to inundate the road outside his house, preventing him from commuting.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) recorded significant rainfall across the city, with Gulshan-e-Hadeed receiving 75mm, University Road 59mm, and Nazimabad 29mm. Weather expert Jawad Memon indicated that rain clouds were still forming over the city and approaching from the Super Highway, suggesting the showers could continue. The Met Office has forecast isolated rains in Karachi until August 23 and issued a warning that the next two days are critical, with a monsoon system in the Arabian Sea likely to bring more moderate to heavy rainfall, potentially causing further urban flooding.
The impact of the rains was severe, causing not only disruption but also damage. A section of the road at North Nazimabad’s Landi Kotal Chowrangi caved in, severely disrupting traffic flow. Furthermore, widespread power outages were reported across multiple areas. K-Electric stated that while power was uninterrupted from over 1,770 feeders, supply was temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure in low-lying and vulnerable areas, with their staff fully mobilized to respond to emergencies.
In response to the crisis and the forecast, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired an emergency meeting to review preparations. He placed local governments and traffic police on high alert and directed them to ensure public convenience and safety. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab briefed the CM on efforts to de-silt 150 drains to improve water flow. This local crisis unfolds against a grim national backdrop, where monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across Pakistan, with the nationwide death toll from rain-related incidents climbing to 660.
