Islamabad: At least two people lost their lives after heavy rains in Karachi that left the streets flooded, disrupted power supply for hours and caused the worst traffic jam across the city on Friday. Vehicles were seen submerged in water, several buildings reportedly damaged, and citizens reported that rainwater even entered their homes in low-laying areas.
The heavy rain spell along with strong winds came after Karachi witnessed its hottest day of July in 62 years. The Met Office reported the highest rainfall of about 63.5mm at Faisal base followed by Gulshan-i-Hadeed (48mm), Landhi (40mm), Saddar (41mm), Old Area Pehalwan Goth (28mm), University Road (16mm) and Nazimabad (9mm).
Two die from electrocution
At least two people, including a policeman, died in rain-realted accidents. A police officer Arshad Ali, 30, suffered an electric shock while performing his duty in Ibrahim Hyderi while a 35-year-old Abid Husain suffered an electric shock in Clifton.
K-Electric – the company that supplies electricity to Karachi – said the teams were working for the swift restoration of power and that some of its feeders were switched off for “safety reasons”. In some areas, the power restoration took longer as the streets were swamped. “Fallen trees on poles that require heavy machinery to remove them” and “waterlogged roads” delayed the repair work which is why some areas of the city had to endure power outages throughout the night.
Criticism
The Friday rainfall that brought much misery to the citizens of Karachi is something that the city has experienced innumerable times in past years. Distressed residents said the rain mayhem exposed the poor planning and management, criticizing the provincial government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for not being prepared for the monsoon rains year after year despite being in power in the province since 2008.
Shafaat Ali, a TV host, said that he had to spend five hours on the arterial Shahrah-e-Faisal stuck in his car. “Feel so sorry for Karachi that doesn’t have a drainage system in 72 years” he tweeted.
Actress Mehwish Hayat complained that even a little rain in Karachi brings the city to a halt. “Roads flood, cars drown, people get electrocuted, power outages” she said asking Sindh government to resolve the issue. Karachi “generates the most revenue in the country, we deserve better” she said.
“Every year we see such scenes and no one cares to fix this problem for flooded roads” protested journalists Naimat Khan, sharing the video of Karachi’s biggest public health facility, Jinnah Hospital, inundated after the rain.
Throughout the day, many residents of Karachi shared photos and videos of the fallouts of heavy downpours in their area.
One tweet that garnered maximum views on Twitter was by a resident who shared that fish were blown into her house during the rain and windstorm.
Citizens said it is shocking to see how even a short shower can bring the city of over 16 million to a halt. The ineffective drainage system, lack of proper solid waste disposal, heaps of garbage and illegal construction along both sides of the roads are considered the major problems that aggravate urban flooding Pakistan’s largest city.
