Karachi paralysed by torrential rains: 10 dead, homes flooded, emergency declared

Dubai: A relentless spell of monsoon rain battered Karachi on Tuesday, leaving Pakistan’s largest city submerged in chaos.

At least 10 people lost their lives in electrocutions, drownings, and wall collapses, as neighbourhoods turned into lakes and families struggled to reach safety.

The Sindh government declared Wednesday, August 20, a public holiday, shutting down schools and offices across Karachi, in a desperate attempt to keep citizens off waterlogged streets while rescue efforts continue.

From Malir to North Karachi, residents spent the night battling floodwaters that entered their homes. In Korangi Crossing and Liaquatabad, families piled furniture on bricks and beds in an attempt to save their belongings, Pakistani media reported. “The water reached my waist inside the house,” said Abdul Hameed, a shopkeeper from Baldia Town, who shifted his children to a neighbour’s rooftop.

In several low-lying areas, water levels rose up to four feet, forcing residents to abandon their vehicles and wade through murky streets. On Shahrey Faisal, one of Karachi’s busiest arteries, hundreds of cars and motorcycles were stranded as engines failed mid-flood. Parents struggled to carry children on their shoulders, while elderly residents were seen clinging to walls and shop shutters for support.

Rescue officials confirmed that three people, including two women, drowned in a stormwater drain near Guru Mandir, while four others died in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after a house wall collapsed. A motorcyclist near Nursery and another young man in DHA lost their lives to electric shocks from rain-soaked power lines.

The heavy downpour brought Jinnah International Airport to a near standstill. At least eight flights were cancelled, 20 delayed, and several inbound planes, including a Dubai-bound service, were diverted to other cities.

Meanwhile, power outages swept across Karachi, plunging entire districts into darkness. Internet and mobile phone services were also disrupted, cutting off thousands of families from loved ones. K-Electric said temporary shutdowns were carried out in waterlogged areas “for public safety.”

Mayor Murtaza Wahab declared a rain emergency, cancelling staff leave and ordering rescue and sanitation teams onto the streets. Governor Kamran Tessori opened the Governor’s House for stranded citizens and was seen personally helping push vehicles stuck in waist-deep water.

Authorities urged residents to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary travel, and steer clear of electric poles and dangling wires. “The next 48 hours are critical,” warned the Met Office, predicting further heavy rainfall until August 22.

The crisis has once again exposed Karachi’s fragile drainage system, designed to handle only 40mm of rainfall but overwhelmed by over 200mm in a single day. “Without proper expansion of storm drains, we cannot prevent this,” admitted Mayor Wahab.

As the city braces for more rain, residents cling to prayer and resilience. “We have no electricity, no water, and now our homes are flooded,” said Shamim Akhtar, a mother of three in North Nazimabad. “All we want is for the rain to stop and for someone to stand with us in this misery.”

Nationwide, the death toll from this year’s monsoon has risen to 660, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the worst-hit province, followed by Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.