KARACHI: The Sindh Education Department declared on Wednesday that all government and private schools and colleges in Karachi will remain shut on Thursday due to the city’s rain-hit situation.
According to the notification, the decision applies to all schools and colleges across the metropolis.
Taking to his Facebook account, Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah said that all public and private schools and colleges within the jurisdiction of Karachi division to remain closed in the backdrop of ongoing spell of heavy rains in the port city.
The death toll from rain-related incidents in Karachi rose to 17 after intermittent downpours battered the city since the day before, with the port city receiving more monsoon showers at night.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported 178 millimetres of rainfall in Gulshan-e-Hadeed and 145 millimetres on University Road during the past 24 hours.
According to the PMD, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are impacting southern Pakistan. More showers, with isolated heavy falls, are expected in Karachi tomorrow, raising concerns of fresh urban flooding.
In view of the deteriorating conditions, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday had announced a public holiday in Karachi for today (Wednesday) as the city reeled from heavy rainfall and widespread disruption.
The chief minister had advised citizens to remain indoors, stressing that more rain was expected and the holiday had been declared to spare people further hardship.
