After a day of chaos and destruction on Friday, heavy monsoon rain once again lashed parts of the city on Saturday.
The areas that received light and heavy showers coupled with gusty winds on Saturday included Surjani Town, Scheme 33, Power House Chowrangi, New Karachi, North Nazimabad and the University Road.
Power supply to these areas was suspended after the rain. Dark clouds covered other parts of the city as well.
In some areas drains overflowed and water entered houses. The worst affected were districts Central and East.In Shadman and FC Area, heavy rain destroyed the roofs of houses.Cracks in the Hub Canal resulted in nearby villages flooding.
The most rain was reported in Surjani Town where 170mm was recorded. North Karachi reported 88mm of rain while, North Nazimabad and Nazimabad had 85.6mm and Gulshan-e-Hadeed77mm.
KDA Chowrangi, Shadman, Nagan Chowrangi, Surjani Town, Buffer Zone, Federal B Area and Liaquatabad were all flooded due to the downpour and cars, buses and motorcycles got stuck in the waist deep water. In Shadman, water entered apartments, forcing people to flee to the roof for safety. The Gujjar Nullah also overflowed, forcing families to take shelter in nearby mosques. Water also entered the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell police station in Sharifabad, flooding the record room and armory. District Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi blamed damage to a dam in District West for the flooding.Multiple main roads, such as the one from Five Star Chowrangi to Naganstreet and North Nazimabad, were flooded. A bus drove into a ditch and got stuck at Nagan Chowrangi.
The NDMA has prepared a plan to demolish encroachments on storm drains that will be implemented from Monday.
The Pakistan Army, Rangers and Edhi rescue teams are out on roads helping with the rescue efforts. They are also draining water in some areas using suction pumps but as of Saturday morning, many areas are still flooded. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah toured some areas in districts Central and East and blamed the crisis on the MQM and the Distrct Central chairman.
He said if work had been done before, all this damage wouldn’t have occurred.He said the most issues are being reported in these districts and called it a reflection of the PTI’s work.
Over 100 electricity feeders tripped across the city due to the rain. The K-Electric spokesperson said power was also turned off in several areas as a safety measure.
