Yet another monsoon spell brought more devastation to Karachi on Friday, claiming the lives of at least seven citizens and inundating roads in various parts of the city. According to the Met department, the highest amount of rainfall, 185.7mm, was recorded in Surjani Town. Meanwhile, 14.4mm was recorded at Karachi (MOS), 54mm at PAF Masroor Base, 22mm at PAF Faisal Base, 84mm at Gulshan-e-Hadeed, 106.4mm at North Karachi, 106mm at Nazimabad, 20mm at Saddar, 25mm at Landhi, 28.2mm at University Road, 20.8mm at Jinnah Terminal, 11.5mm at Kemari and 28.5mm at Saadi Town. On Thursday, the Met office had predicted that the monsoon spell in Karachi and other parts of Sindh as well as Balochistan entering on Friday could last till Monday. Amid the downpour recorded, a young man died after being electrocuted in the city’s Docks area, according to police and rescue officials. Separately, two men died after being struck by lightning on the outskirts of Malir. Police and rescue workers said the two died after being struck by lightning at a farm house in Haji Mehar Goth. In the New Karachi area, a man, his teenaged son and brother drowned in a drain on Friday evening, according to police. Bilal, 17, slipped and fell into a nullah near Bismillah Chowk. His father Nasir and Nasir’s brother Adnan jumped in order to save the teenager but they too drowned. In a separate incident, a teenager drowned in Lyari River near Teen Hatti, according to rescue workers. As Ali Raza tried to retrieve it, heavy flow of water swept him away. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said they had to stop the operation to rescue him due to darkness. Earlier, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the departments concerned to remain alert and begin preparations for draining rainwater. “As soon as the rain stops, water accumulated in low-lying areas should be drained using machines,” he directed. People’s homes should be protected, he said. The administration should take all the possible steps to protect the lives and the property of the people, he said. Despite these directives, images and videos shared on social media showed rainwater accumulated on roads and entering houses. Citizens called out the administration for their failure to rectify the city’s crumbling drainage system, despite making tall claims.
