Daily Times

At least 30 people were killed after rain battered Karachi and other parts of Sindh on Monday, said the Sindh Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).

The PDMA said as many as 49 people in Sindh including 31 in Karachi have died in incidents caused by rains since July 4.

The provincial government imposed rain emergency in Karachi on Sunday after several areas and main roads across the city were inundated with rainwater. Nullahs in Orangi Town and Korangi overflowed and entered houses. II Chundrigar Road, DHA, Shahrah-e-Faisal, University Road, NIPA Chowrangi, and Qayyumabad Chowrangi were among the roads flooded with waist-high water, leaving people and cars stranded for hours.

Residents complained of prolonged power outages lasting more than 36 hours. Early Tuesday morning, Administrator Murtaza Wahab tweeted that the situation on the II Chundrigar Road had improved after the water level of the city nullah came down.

Later, he said the University Road had also been cleared for traffic. In a statement issued Tuesday, Wahab said that he visited Malir, District East, District West, District South, and District Central along with provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah and Sharjeel Memon, and reviewed the situation after the rains. He assured that accumulated water would soon be drained out, adding that teams had been deployed in multiple areas of the city. “Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Sindh have issued special instructions and instructed ministers to supervise the work themselves,” Wahab added, says a news report.

Later in the day, the Karachi police confirmed that the KPT Underpass in Clifton had been reopened for traffic. Meanwhile, data released by the PDMA revealed that Karachi’s Keamari received the highest amount of rainfall (231.75mm) in the last 24 hours followed by District East (203.3mm), Korangi (191mm), District South (132mm), District Central (129.8mm), Malir (98mm) and District West (53.9mm). In a meeting, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah met provincial ministers at the CM House where he was told that underpasses in districts South and East had been cleared of rainwater and would be opened for traffic by evening.The chief minister, subsequently, directed the local government to get small pumps installed in the streets where rainwater had accumulated and clear them.

“A forecast for another spell of heavy rain has been issued, therefore we have to not just restore all the roads and streets but also be prepared for the upcoming days,” he added. The monsoon rains have also wreaked havoc in Balochistan, where the government has now imposed Section 144 (power to issue order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Code of Criminal Procedure on swimming and picnics near dams, rivers and other water bodies across the province for a month.

In a report issued on Tuesday, the PDMA revealed that 62 people have been killed in the monsoon rains in Balochistan, which started in June, so far. The number includes 23 women, 15 men, and 24 children. Separately, more than 600 houses were swept away in the floods. According to the report, Bolan, Quetta, Zhob, Dakki, Khasdar, Kohlu, Ketch, Mastung, Harnai, Qila Saifullah, and Sibi were among the most affected areas.

Relief operations underway in KP Meanwhile, the disaster management authorities were busy in relief operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday after two people were killed and three injured during rains and floods in Swabi, Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Nowshera on Monday. According to authorities, the fast-flowing waters swept away houses and schools in the areas leading to severe damage to the infrastructure.

KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has instructed all the agencies to remain on high alert, while teams have been dispatched to rescue stranded people. Separately, the PDMA has said that its control room was active 24/7 and urged people to report any untoward incident to the helpline 1700.

Rain, wind, and thunder showers have been predicted in Islamabad, upper and central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eastern Balochistan, Kashmir, and lower Sindh during the next 12 hours. Heavy falls were likely in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper Punjab, and Kashmir. Separately, the Met department predicted heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Karachi, Thatta, Badin and Hyderabad from July 14.

Chief meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said the new weather system headed towards the city would last until July 18-19. Sarfaraz also said that intermittent rain with thunder was also expected in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tando Mohammad Khan. He also warned of a risk of flooding in low-lying areas in Karachi, Badin, Thatta, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot.

PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Monday that the entire nation was worried about the loss of life and property due to the monsoon rains in Karachi. The federal government, she said, was committed to working with the provincial government and army personnel to transport the victims to safety on an emergency basis as soon as possible. “There is no shortage of relief activities.”

The PML-N stalwart also assured the people of the port city: “Karachi! We stand with you.” The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) criticised the Sindh govt, saying the rulers of the province had failed to provide a drainage system to the port city Karachi despite being in power for the last 14 years. Blaming the PPP-led government, PTI leader Ali Zaidi said that the provincial authorities have failed to clear the drains of the metropolis.