Gulshan-e-Hadeed records 84mm rain as another spell to hit Sindh today

Some parts of Karachi continued to receive heavy rain on Friday, with 84 millimetres being recorded in a couple of hours in Gulshan-e-Hadeed and its adjoining areas. The Met Office has forecast another spell of moderate to heavy monsoon showers in lower Sindh, including Karachi, between Saturday and Monday.

“Strong cells formed around Karachi on Friday too, but instead of causing rain in the city, they only resulted in heavy rain in the Bin Qasim area, where Gulshan-e-Hadeed and its adjoining areas recorded 84mm in a few hours,” said Sardar Sarfaraz, Sindh’s chief meteorological officer.

He said that heavy rain in Gulshan-e-Hadeed (Steel Town), Pipri, Ghaghar Phatak and the adjoining areas further aggravated the situation for the locals as water accumulated on the roads and in the low-lying areas, while the main city areas only received a light drizzle in the afternoon.

Weather pundits have warned that Karachi and other lower Sindh areas can witness the next spell of showers starting Saturday as another monsoon system is moving from India and it can cause moderate to heavy rains in lower Sindh, including Karachi, until Monday night.

“Saturday evening or night rains will start in lower Sindh, including Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tharparkar, Nawabshah, Dadu and Sanghar districts, while Sunday evening or night rain can start in Karachi and last until Monday night,” said Sarfaraz.

A weather advisory issued from the Pakistan Meteorological Department Islamabad has also forecast rains in lower Sindh and Balochistan, saying that heavy rains from Saturday to Monday can cause urban floods in lower Sindh cities, including Karachi, with some expected heavy to very heavy falls.

Heavy rains can also result in flash floods in Lasbela, Khuzdar, Awaran, Barkhan, Zhob, Musa Khel, Loralai, Dera Ghazi Khan and other parts of Balochistan as well as the adjoining areas of Punjab.

In Karachi, rainwater remained accumulated in many areas, including on II Chundrigar Road, on some spots of University Road, on Shahrah-e-Pakistan and in the northern areas of the city, while in the Surjani and Naya Nazimabad areas, houses and localities remained flooded because water could not be drained after Thursday’s downpour.