Coastal belt receives rain as monsoon system enters Sindh

Between 100 and 150 millimeters of rain is expected in Karachi from Saturday night under the influence of a strong monsoon system, which has entered southeastern Sindh and may result in heavy to very heavy falls that can to cause urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Khuzdar, Ormara, Pasni and Gawadar till Tuesday evening, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said on Friday.

“The dwellers of Karachi may get the first spell of monsoon showers today (Saturday) evening or night under the influence of a strong monsoon system, which has already started causing heavy rains in northeast Punjab, Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while some areas of southeastern Sindh, including Ketti Bandar and the adjoining areas also received light to moderate showers,” Sindh’s Chief Meteorological Officer (CMO) Dr Sardar Sarfraz told The News.

An advisory issued by the PMD headquarters in Islamabad also warned that heavy rains with some very heavy falls in Sindh and Balochistan from Saturday under the influence of a strong monsoonal weather system could cause an “urban flooding-like situation” in Karachi and other cities of lower Sindh.

“A strong monsoon system from the Bay of Bengal has entered southeastern Sindh and it may get some support from the Arabian Sea in the next 24 hours. This system is likely to cause heavy to very heavy rains in Tharparkar, Tharparker, Umerkot, Sanghar, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Hyderabad, Tando M. Khan, Tando Allayar, Karachi, Dadu and Jamshoro districts during 2-5 July,” Sarfraz said.

Officials said rain-thundershower with heavy to very heavy falls is expected from Saturday night or Sunday morning in Karachi. They added that around 100 to 150 millimeters of rain could inundate low-lying areas, cause urban flooding, disrupt the power supply network and cause other issues like massive traffic jams on city roads.

They maintained that rain-thundershower with isolated heavy falls was also expected in Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushero Feroze, Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Qambar Shahdadkot, Ghotki and Kashmore districts during the period, while in Balochistan, rain-thundershower with heavy to very heavy falls is expected in Khuzdar, Barkhan, Lasbela, Kohlu, Sibbi, Awaran, Naseerabad, Panjgur from July 2 to 5.

This system is also capable of causing rain-thunderstorm with few heavy falls in Quetta, Zhob, Dalbandin, Nokkundi, Noshki, Qila Saifullah, Mastung, Kalat and Coastal belt (Gawadar, Pasni & Ormara) during the period, PMD officials said, adding that heavy downpour may cause urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Khuzdar, Ormara, Pasni and Gawadar during the forecast period.

Similarly, heavy falls may generate flash flooding in local Nullahs/rivers of Barkhan, Zhob, Sibbi, Panjgur, Kohlu, Naseerabad, Nagarparkar and Dadu, they said, adding that windstorms may damage loose structures of vulnerable locations in Sindh and Balochistan.

Sea conditions may become rough/very rough during 3rd to 5th July. Fishermen are advised to take extra care during the period, they added. Speaking about Karachi, CMO Dr Sarfraz said Karachi could start getting some showers from Saturday evening but the “main event” was likely to commence on Sunday and would continue till Tuesday evening. He added that during this period, some heavy falls might be expected, which could cause an urban flooding-like situation in the city. He said they were expecting another monsoon system to cause rains in Karachi from July 7 or 8, but a forecast would be issued later. To a query, he said they were expecting more than normal rainfall during the first 45 days of the monsoon.