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Thursday March 28, 2024

Karachi drowns as unprecedented rain causes massive urban flooding

By Oonib Azam
August 28, 2020

Unexpected and record-breaking rainfall caused unprecedented urban flooding in Karachi on Thursday. Heavy showers battered the metropolis for hours, completely submerging all major thoroughfares and the seven underpasses of the city.

The urban flooding caused by the catastrophic rain was so massive that no roads were visible in the city and small cars couldn’t ply, leaving no option for rescue organisations other than to bring out boats and trucks.

The business hub of Karachi, II Chundrigar Road, and one of the busiest arteries of the city, Sharea Faisal, witnessed some appalling scenes as neck-deep water gushed through them sweeping away whatever coming in its way, be it vehicles. A police mobile vehicle at Nursery on Sharea Faisal got stuck in a heavy spurt of rainwater and cops inside were rescued by a human chain formed by citizens.

As the Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted only light to moderate rainfall on Thursday, most of the offices, including banks, were open, but the situation turned ugly when it rained heavily continuously and the entire city drowned. One of the residents of Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 5, Fatima, went to her office on Thursday believing all would be normal, but couldn’t return home until 8pm. “Our office arranged a coaster for us and then I went to my friend’s house in Saddar,” she said.

However, hundreds and thousands of employees, including women, were stuck on the drowned II Chundrigar Road and Sharae Faisal.

Edhi Foundation’s Saad Edhi told The News how they had arranged five boats and a few big size trucks on II Chundrigar Road, Korangi and Qayyumabad for rescue operations, especially for the working class. “Even at 7pm, the water level hasn’t reduced an inch on II Chundrigar Road and we’re transporting men and women stuck inside their offices from Tower towards Shaheen Complex,” he said, adding that at some points there was knee-deep and at others neck-deep water.

Upscale areas

Among the worst hit areas of the city were the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Clifton and PECHS, where were completely submerged by rainwater.

For the first time, even footpaths in DHA Phase VIII were covered with rainwater. “The water drained one-hour after the rainfall ended,” one of the residents of DHA Phase-VIII told The News. “Never ever we have seen this much water in DHA.” Khayaban-e-Muhafiz, Khayaban-e-Hafiz and several other areas of DHA were completely inundated.

A freelance journalist and resident of DHA, Ebaad Ahmed, told The News how until 10pm, the rainwater had not phenomenally receded. The worst hit area of DHA, he said, was Khayaban-e-Shahbaz where there was no drainage at all and rainwater had entered the houses. Residents of DHA, he said, had faced huge losses in the catastrophic rainfall. He expressed his fear that there would be unimaginable losses if it rained more.

The rest of the city

The mighty Gujjar Nullah once again overflowed drowning everything that came in its way. Heavy gushing water had as usual drowned Nagan Chowrangi all the way till Surjani Town. The Nagan Chowrangi flyover towards Anda Mor developed major cracks making it dangerous for the commuters.

Apart from Nagan Chowrangi, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrah-e-Pakistan, Sher Shah Suri Road, Tariq Road and their neighbourhoods were completely flooded. Numerous cars and motorcycles swept away in the gushing rainwater in various localities in all the districts while rainwater mixed with sewage entered houses, shops and offices.

Knee-deep to neck-deep rainwater accumulated at Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi, Five-Star Chowrangi and KDA Chowrangi, while commuters had no option but to use the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit’s track. In Nazimabad, near the Sir Syed Girls College, the road was closed for traffic movement during the day after water flow increased. Several commuters were seen walking from Golimar towards North Karachi.

Human chains of commuters were also seen in many areas as people had no option but to walk on foot with the fear of being washed away by the flood.

Commissioner’s visit

As many as 10 families were rescued from being drowned in the Orangi Nullah floods by the the District West administration.

The newly appointed Karachi commissioner, Dr Sohail Rajput, said the families had been moved to a secure place. In District Malir, District Central and District West, he said, more than 8,000 families were being provided food, camps and shelter.

According to a statement issued by the Commissioner Office, people affected by the landslide at Katti Pahari in District West had also been moved to a safer place. Meanwhile, District West Deputy Commissioner Saleemullah Odho formed a relief camp at Islam Chowk.

The commissioner visited different areas of the city during the rainfall and monitored the rescue work. He appealed to the citizens of the city to refrain from going outside unnecessarily. He also alerted the commissioner Karachi control room and issued special directives to keep it functional 24 hours.

He asked the citizens to contact the control room number 02199205634 in case of any emergency or help. He assured that the district administration was alert and performing their duties on ground.

Hub Dam filled

The Hub Dam was filled to its maximum capacity after 13 years on Thursday and overflowed after the water level touched the 340-foot mark. It was 2007 when the dam had overflowed the last time.

An official of the dam confirmed to The News that the dam had filled to its maximum capacity by 5pm and it started overflowing by 6pm, when it again started raining. After Friday’s heavy rainfall, it had reached the level of 31.3 feet and there was a capacity of eight more feet of water that could be stored in the dam, following which the spillways would have to be opened.

The official shared that the spillways would take water to the Hub River, which goes all the way to the Hubco Power Plant delta where it meets the sea in Balochistan. The Hub River, he explained, also passed through District West of Karachi but it majorly lied in Balochistan. The dam was constructed in 1974 and Karachi was connected to it in 1984.

District West will mostly benefit from the water stored in the Hub Dam. Karachi receives 100 million gallons of water on a daily basis from the dam. Meanwhile, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Managing Director Khalid Sheikh, in a press statement, said that they were monitoring the spillways of the Hub Dam and would relocate any human settlement if the water entered it.

Residents of such settlements coming in the way of overflowing water have also been asked to relocate themselves to a safer location as a precautionary measure.