Rain in Karachi again exposes unpreparedness of authorities

After several parts of Karachi received rain ranging between mild and average on Friday, different areas in District Central flooded once again and affected the movement of traffic for hours.

A drain at Power House Chowrangi overflowed and inundated the main thoroughfare connecting the roundabout with Do Minute Chowrangi and Nagan Chowrangi. Parts of Nagan Chowrangi flooded with rainwater as usual and halted traffic movement. The district administration, however, was nowhere to be seen.

A sewerage line reportedly burst at Nagan Chowrangi, due to which sewage mixed with the rainwater, worsening the situation. Several cars and motorbikes broke down on the flooded roads.

A man slipped inside a storm water drain with his motorbike near the Saleem Centre on Shahrah-e-Usman. The locals pulled him and his vehicle out.

A portion of a newly constructed road near Sakhi Hassan in front of the District Central deputy commissioner’s office caved in, causing the tyre of a bus to get stuck in it.

Various roads of North Nazimabad, Nazimabad and Hyderi were also submerged by rainwater. North Karachi Sector 11-A resident Arshal Kamal said he was stuck in traffic for hours at Nagan Chowrangi, adding that the drains did not help the situation, causing water to flood the road and submerge the entire area.

Water also gathered on the Quaidabad Flyover at Dawood Chowrangi, causing the movement of traffic to stop during the rush hour.

According to the data provided by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the highest amount of rain was recorded in North Karachi at 44mm, while Gulshan-e-Maymar received 16.2mm, and Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Orangi Town 2mm each.

Mayor’s meeting

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab chaired a meeting with the chairmen and elected representatives of the Malir, Gadap and Lyari towns at his office. He said that arrangements must be made for sanitation and drainage during monsoon rains.

Wahab said that disinfectants should be sprayed in all districts of the city, while mud and trash must be removed from the National Highway, and the availability of sanitary workers and better working relationship with the town administration should be ensured.

He said that machinery required for municipal services would be transferred without delay, adding that municipal staff has been posted in different areas to monitor roads, streets and other places.

The meeting reviewed the sanitation situation in the areas located within the boundaries of different towns, and various suggestions were made to improve it. Wahab said that steps would be taken to supply machinery required for sanitation and disinfectant spray according to the needs of the town administration.

He said that the solid waste management board is responsible for picking up trash and transporting it to the landfill sites, so the town administration should devise a strategy with the board to keep all the areas within the town’s boundaries clean.

Where complaints are received about the unavailability of dustbins, the relevant organisation should be informed immediately, he added. He also said that wherever there is any obstacle, the mayor and deputy mayor should be informed immediately so that relief can be provided as soon as possible.

Power outages

Electricity supply was suspended in various areas of the city after rain started, including Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Lyari, Malir, Saddar, parts of Clifton, DHA, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad and Gulshan-e-Hadeed.

K-Electric said in a press statement that power supply remained stable during sporadic showers. “KE teams continued to closely monitor the situation, maintaining proactive contact with key departments of the Government of Sindh, the Met Department and the city administration. The utility’s staff remained on alert, fully geared to tackle rain-related eventualities.”

Out of the total network of KE’s more than 2,000 feeders responsible for supplying power to the city, over 1,875 feeders remained fully energised at any given time, said the power company.

KE said that only small pockets of the city that were mainly experiencing waterlogging issues had to face temporary power cuts only due to safety reasons. “However, as soon as the water was drained by the city administration, and clearance was given by KE field teams, the power was promptly restored.”