KARACHI: Intermittent rains continued to lash different parts of the metropolis on the night between Friday and Saturday killing four persons, three of them died from electrocution, police, hospital and rescue services officials.

According to the Met office, Surjani Town received the highest amount of rainfall i.e. 59.5 millimetres, or 2.34 inches, followed by PAF Masroor Base (44mm), University Road (42.5), Orangi Town (41.6mm), Naizmabad (37.5mm), Saadi Town (35.3mm), Gulshan-i-Maymar (30.5mm) and Saddar received 20mm rain.

In its advisory, the Met department has forecast widespread rain-thunderstorms with a few heavy/very heavy falls (isolated extremely heavy) and occasional strong winds till Monday (tomorrow) in Karachi division as well as Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Thatta, Sujawal, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Ghotki, Kashmore, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Dadu, Jamshoro and Qambar Shahdadkot districts.

Met office says depression along coast weakens; rains to continue till tomorrow

City weatherman Dr Sardar Sarfaraz told Dawn the depression over the Arabian Sea was gradually losing its intensity. “Since it’s weakening along the coast, it’s likely to induce rain-thunderstorms,” he explained.

He said that the low pressure area over Rajasthan, India had also weakened.

Rainfall intensity is also to increase in northeastern and southern districts of Balochistan, which may trigger flash flooding in Dadu, Jamshoro, Qambar Shahdadkot districts and downstream.

Sea conditions are likely to remain very rough for the next two days and fishermen are advised not to venture in open sea till tomorrow night.

Three die from electrocution

Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed said that 22-year-old Naeem Abbas was brought dead from Gulshan-i-Iqbal to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. He suffered an electric shock at his office.

Ali Mohammed, 45, was brought dead from Juma Goth in the Al-Falah area of Malir. Area SHO Badar Shakeel said that he was electrocuted when he touched an electric board in his home barefoot.

Qurban Saeed, 23, died from electrocution in Gulshan-i-Ghazi in Baldia Town. The body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. The Saeedabad police said that he suffered an electric shock while working at home.

An unidentified man drowned in the Lyari river near Dhobi Ghat.

Pak Colony SHO Mohammed Ashfaq said it appeared that the man drowned at someplace else. The victim appeared to be an addict, he said, adding that the corpse was shifted to the CHK for medico-legal formalities.

Meanwhile, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that a 28-year-old man, Zubair Javed, drowned in the flooded Malir river in Shah Faisal Colony-2. However, he was timely rescued by Edhi.

Thado Dam overflows

Various low-lying areas and main roads in the city had been submerged by rainwater causing hardship to motorists and commuters.

However, in the second half of the day, civic authorities managed to drain out accumulated rainwater from almost every main road.

The continued rain on the city’s outskirts caused the Thado dam in Gadap Town to overflow. This triggered fear and panic among the residents, who thought floodwater might inundate their areas as well as the M-9 motorway.

Edhi volunteers rescued dozens of people trapped in their vehicle near Baloch Colony because of flooding in the Malir river.

A traffic police spokesperson said that the Korangi causeway was closed for vehicular traffic after it was submerged by rainwater.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2022