Heavy rains to hit Sindh and Punjab from today

KARACHI: Karachi may experience light to heavy showers from Tuesday to Thursday, weatherman Owais Haider told Geo News on Sunday.

In a weekly forecast for the port city, the weather analyst said rain was likely to hit suburban areas of the megalopolis on Monday.He warned that the threat of urban flooding loomed as the upcoming rain spell could be the most powerful one this monsoon season.

Meanwhile, Haider added, there were chances of rain in different parts of Karachi on Friday as well.On the other hand, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Karachi’s weather was expected to remain hot and humid in the next 24 hours.

According to the Met Office, the city’s current temperature was 30°C and the maximum temperature was likely to reach 36°C in the city.It said humidity in the air was 70%, while sea breezes were restored. “Sea winds are blowing at a speed of 27 kilometres per hour,” said the weather forecasting department.

Amid predictions of heavy downpour in southern parts of the country, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Saturday imposed a rain emergency in Karachi.The PMD, in its latest update, said a new rain system located over west Bengal is likely to move westwards during the next couple of days, which would bring strong monsoon currents in Pakistan’s southern parts on the night of August 25.

It added that heavy rains were expected from August 26 to 29 under this system, prompting the concerned authorities to take emergency measures.Taking the predictions into account, Karachi Mayor Wahab announced that a rain emergency has been imposed to deal with the post-rain situation in the metropolis.

He added that instructions were given to the municipal services of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and leaves of all concerned staffers were suspended to cope with the expected rains.

As per the Met Office, the areas in Sindh that are likely to receive showers include Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Shaheed Benazirabad, Jamshoro, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tharparkar, Nagarparkar, Mithi, Mirpur Khas, Umarkot, Matiari, Sanghar, Sukkur, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Khairpur, Larkana, Jacobabad and Naushero Feroze.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) also issued warning to relevant departments to stay alert in anticipation of torrential rains in Sindh and Punjab from August 26 to 29.

The authority warned that besides flash flooding in local nullahs/streams and hill torrents in Punjab, coastal flooding may also occur along Makran’s coast and in low laying areas of Dadu, Hyderabad, Badin and Shahdadpur district of Sindh.