City a mess after two days of rain

Eleven precious lives were lost while the civic infrastructure including newly-constructed roads were reported to be in shambles as the metropolis received heavy downpour for two days, The News learnt on Friday.

Although the city administration managed to remove rainwater from some thoroughfares following Thursday night’s rain, there were still several areas where rainwater was accumulated.

Due to stagnant rainwater, vehicular traffic was reported to have been affected in almost all parts of the city.

Death toll reaches 11

The death toll in two-day rain related incidents rose to 11 as six more people including a minor and a teenager died in various parts of the city following Thursday’s rain.

Seven-year-old Rehan died after a boundary wall of the rooftop, where he was playing, collapsed on him in Musharraf Colony.

In Liaquatabad, 15-year-old Ahsan got electrocuted by touching a wall which had electrical current running through it inside his house.

SHO Liaquatabad Tariq Mehmood said the boy, resident of C-1area of Liaquatabad died on late Thursday night.

Twenty-two-year-old Shahzad got electrocuted near the Taqi Hospital in Mehmoodabad.

Additional SHO, Inspector Ateeq Shah, said Shahzad was preparing fast food items at his roadside stall when he received an electric current. He was using an unsafe hook connection for electricity at his stall.

The deceased was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment where he died.

Twenty-seven-year-old Muhammad Atif died after electric wires fell on him in Hussainabad.

SHO Azizabad Jamal Laghari stated that Atif came out of his shop to buy ice cream from a nearby depot when the wires fell on him.

According to SHO Shah Faisal Colony, 25-year-old Adnan died of electrocution in Shah Faisal Colony No 5 as he waded through rainwater accumulated near the Shah Faisal Colony roundabout.

SHO Mochko Babar Hameed said Rehan was rescued from the debris and taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

A student of a seminary, Asad, was also reported to have died of electrocution while washing his clothes in Jamia Binoria Almia.

Traffic, infrastructure mess

Till the filing of the story, rainwater was still accumulated on Sir Shah Suleman, Manghophir, MA Jinnah, Business Recorder and Nishter roads.

Roads in Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Guru Mandir, Lasbella, Kharadar, Lyari, Pak Colony, Old Golimar, SITE Area, Metroville, Baldia Town, Orangi Town, Landhi, Korangi, Malir, Model Colony and Korangi were also submerged in rainwater.

Traffic jams were witnessed in all these areas as a number of vehicles broke down in stagnant rainwater. The traffic police was also seen engaged in the ongoing work of removing damaged vehicles from the road.

Although, the city administration removed rainwater from Sharea Faisal, a traffic mess was reported due to developmental work going on at one part of the road.

On Friday morning, commuters faced difficulties in reaching their workplaces as the II Chundrigar Road - main thoroughfare located in the city’s business hub – was submerged in rainwater; however, the stagnated water was disposed of later in the day.

Water was also drained from thoroughfares leading towards the Sindh Secretariat, Sindh Governor House, Karachi Press Club and the Sindh High Court early Friday morning.

As far as residential localities were concerned, people living in the KBR Society – situated near Gujjar Nullah - had rainwater enter inside their homes, whereas houses situated alongside the Nullah in Liaquatabad and FB Area also experienced flooding.

In Jahangirabad as well, rainwater entered inside houses and mosques. However, in the absence of civic administration’s officials, residents were trying to drain out the water on their own.

In some areas, law enforces including paramilitary soldiers and police officials took part in the process to restore routine life in the metropolis. Besides helping out traffic cops in managing vehicular traffic in many parts of the city, the law enforcers also helped them remove damaged vehicles to clear the roads.     

New roads develop potholes

The newly-constructed National Highway developed potholes and cracks at various points during Thursday’s heavy downpour.

Cracks also reportedly emerged on the newly-built University Road, calling into question the provincial government’s claims of providing improved infrastructure to the city. A newly-constructed road in Gulzar-e-Hijri also developed potholes, whereas another road running between houses in Malir’s Millat Town caved in posing a serious threat to the buildings housed on it.

‘No more rain in Karachi’

Following two days of heavy pre-monsoon rainfall in Karachi, the meteorological department has predicted normal weather for the city on Saturday, except for light rain or drizzle in some parts of the metropolis. 

The revised forecast comes after the end of an active weather system that brought 100 millimeters of rain over two days immediately after a baking hot (38 degrees Celsius) first day of Eidul Fitr. 

“The weather system that caused heavy rain in Karachi over the past two days has weakened and is now moving away from the city. No more heavy showers are expected in Karachi on Saturday. At the most there could be light drizzle in some parts,” said Director Met Karachi Abdur Rashid.

He said with the two days of rain the monsoon season had officially started and would continue till mid-September this year, adding that more rains were expected in Karachi and rest of Sindh over the next few weeks. 

“The weather system enters into Sindh from India while some systems develop in Arabian Sea and, hopefully, there will be more rains in Karachi and rest of the province in July and August.” 

Regarding the intensity of the rainfall, the official said this part of the country was expected to have normal rains in the current season but in case of any change in the weather conditions, weather forecast would be issued accordingly so that institutions and people could adopt precautionary measures.

Hub Dam situation 

Rain in the catchment area of the Hub Dam resulted in an increase of water in the reservoir and authorities said at least one feet of water entered into the dam after two days of rain in the vicinity.

“The reservoir level of Hub Dam was 280.30 feet prior to the rainfall and it rose to 281.30 ft after the downpour,” a Wapda official posted at Hub Dam told The News.

The official said the catchment area of the Hub Dam was Khuzdar, Dureji, in Balochistan and adjoining areas where no significant rainfall occurred during the last two days but hoped that the dam would receive more water over the current monsoon season.

“The fresh addition of water in the Hub Dam is enough for one month as we were planning to use electrical motors to fetch water from the dam prior to the rains. Hopefully, there will be more rainfall in the area that would add more water to the reservoir.”