According to the official figures released by the high-ups of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), as many as 25 people lost their lives in different incidents in the province over the past four days in rain-relatives incidents.
Deaths were reported from Sanghar, Khairpur, Dadu, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other districts. The reports from Sanghar said that a woman was killed by a lightning strike in a village near Khipro town on Friday night during a heavy downpour in the area. Meanwhile, the citizens of Karachi witnessed immense hardships when a heavy spell of rain submerged many thoroughfares and low-lying areas of the city. It was learnt on Friday.
Three people have swept away in Karachi’s Gadap Town as heavy rains continued to batter the metropolis on Thursday. Two of them remained missing while the third was rescued, it was reported on Friday. The accidents occurred around the Lath River in Gadap after water levels rose due to the rain. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Irfan Bahadur said that the three people were travelling on motorcycles. According to the SSP, one of the three missing individuals was rescued while the search for the other two continued. However, the rescue operation was hampered due to darkness. The two missing persons were reported to be father and son.
The Malir River in the Memon Goth region also got flooded, causing a flash flood on Link Road and subsequently leading to the police closing the Link Road that connected the National Highway with the Super Highway. With the closure of the road, traffic pressure increased, resulting in gridlock. Meanwhile, several vehicles got stuck on inundated roads near the Northern Bypass. Edhi officials said that as soon as the incident was reported their volunteers rushed to the spot and evacuated the citizens to a safe place after struggling with the conditions. Rescue officials said several vehicles were also submerged in the water while the Superhighway road from Karachi to Hyderabad was closed for traffic due to the current situation.
According to media reports, in Karachi, Gadap Town, Surjani Town, North Karachi, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Jinnah Old Terminal, Tariq Road, Defence View, FC Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar, Guru Mandir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Nazimabad and other areas received downpour for several hours on Friday. The city plunged into darkness due to power outages in the different areas of the city. According to K-Electric (K-E), the power company’s staff was resolving the faults reported by the people. The city is likely to receive thundershowers till July 9.
The widespread moderate to heavy rains continued to lash various parts of the province Friday for the fourth consecutive day on Friday. Due to heavy downpours as many as three persons, including a minor girl and a woman, lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Dadu districts on Friday. Reports from Badin, Jamshoro, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Sukkur, Kandhot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Matli, Tando Bago, Larkana, Jacobabad, Panu Aqil, Jhuddo, Naukot, Sindhri, Juhi, Tando Adam, Hala, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan and other towns of the province said that low-lying areas were inundated by rainwater due to poor drainage system.
The people suffered another big breakdown of electricity on Friday. While internet service remained suspended again on Friday for several hours people remained disconnected. Reports from the desert district of Tharparkar said that farmers have started preparing their lands for cultivation due to the rains. Tharis, who had migrated to barrage areas of different districts along with their cattle, have returned after the bounteous rains and in the hope of more downpours in the coming weeks of the current monsoon season.
The citizens of Karachi witnessed immense hardships when a heavy spell of rain submerged many thoroughfares and low-lying areas of the city on Friday. According to reports, several areas of the city suffered urban flooding as heavy rains continued to batter the metropolis for the fourth consecutive day. Several parts of the city, including, Gadap Town, Surjani Town, North Karachi, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Jinnah Old Terminal, Tariq Road, Defence View, FC Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar, Guru Mandir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Nazimabad, received downpour for several hours.
Meanwhile, the thoroughfare between Landhi and Malir Memon Goth has been totally inundated, compelling the administration to close it by erecting barriers. The Gadap stream overflowed, submerging all adjoining areas. Other areas, including Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Liaquatabad, also suffered urban flooding. Moreover, rainwater mixed with sewage flowed inside homes, causing severe hardship to citizens, especially women, children and the elderly.
On the other hand, urban flooding has severely affected the flow of traffic in the city, causing severe traffic jams in many areas. Many motorists were stuck on roads as the engines of their vehicles stalled due to water accumulation of up to a few feet. According to the Meteorological Department, the highest rainfall of 77.7 mm was recorded in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, while 44mm of rain was recorded at Old Airport, 33mm in PAF Base Faisal, 31.3mm at Jinnah Terminal, 18.4mm at University Road, 11mm in Quaidabad, and 3mm in Kemari. The lowest rainfall of 0.5 mm was recorded in Nath, Karachi. According to the Met Office, monsoon currents are continuously penetrating the country and are expected to weaken over the next 24 hours before strengthening over the weekend (9 and 10 July).
