Sindh battered by torrential monsoon rains

Ag APP

KARACHI: Residents of various areas of Sindh suffered yet another day of flooded roads and prolonged power cuts as torrential monsoon rains lashed the province, leading the Sindh government to declare an emergency in the province on Tuesday.

“Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has declared emergency in Sindh after heavy rains lashed the province,” government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said, according to Geo News.

Parts of Karachi began receiving heavy to light rain on Tuesday morning, leading to traffic jams and difficulties for motorists. A day earlier, the Meteorological Department had warned of the risk of urban flooding in the metropolis.

Knee-high water had been reported to have accumulated on Karachi’s main thoroughfare — Shahrah-e-Faisal — after water could not be drained from either side of the road. Vehicles were left stranded in the water, with many cars breaking down as rainwater seeped into engines. With rain also came power breakdowns, with electricity supply suspended in many areas of the city.

In Hyderabad, 133mm of rain lashed parts of the city, the meteorological department said, with the showers leaving drains across the city overflowing. A few underpasses of the city were also left inundated.

Water entered many houses and caused difficulties for residents of the city in low-lying areas, authorities said. Knee-high water was seen outside several hospitals in the city. The situation also led to prolonged power outages across Hyderabad. Sujawal also experienced heavy rains, which resulted in water entering buildings, including a police station. A similar situation was reported in Shahdadkot, where low-lying areas were flooded due to continuous rain in the city.

Digri was also lashed with heavy rains as was Mirpurkhas, whose low-lying areas were flooded, adding to the residents’ woes already suffering from prolonged power cuts due to the rain.

Shops in Tando Allahyar were flooded, while the torrential rain in Tharparkar, Thatta and Tando Mohammad Khan left storm drains overflowing and residents scrambling to get to safety.

According to the local Met office, the rainfall was also recorded at various cities in northern Sindh, including Sukkur, Khairpur, Jacobabad and other areas.