Risk of urban flooding rises as heavy rain hits parts of Karachi

KARACHI: The parts of Karachi have received moderate to heavy downpour which increased the risks of urban flooding due to the lack of urban drainage and prevention plans by the concerned authorities, ARY News reported on Friday.

During the second spell of monsoon rain, the citizens suffered extreme difficulty while travelling through the flooded roads which created huge traffic jams in busiest roads including Shahrea Faisal, Do Talwar, Bahadurabad, Jama Cloth Market, Star Gate, Hassan Square, Guru Mandir, Nursery, Regent Plaza, Liquatabad, Lines Area, NIPA roundabout, Defence, Clifton, Boat Basin and others.

The team of city administration remained vanished from the spots facing flooding situation.

The parts of Karachi which received heavy rain include Clifton, I I Chundrigar Road, Saddar, Gulistan-e-Johar, Korangi, Akhtar Colony, Mahmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, Malir, M A Jinnah Road, Sharea Faisal.

More than 500 small nullahs were overflowed across the metropolis.

According to the Met officials, the heaviest downpour was recorded in 63.55 mm in PAF Faisal Base, 41 mm in Saddar, 13.8 mm in PAF Masroor, 9 mm in Nazimabad, 40 mm in Gulshan-e-Hadeed and Landhi, 16 mm in surrounding areas of University Road and 15 mm at Jinnah Terminal. The wind has reached 66 kilometres an hour in PAF Masroor, 59 km per hour in PAF Faisal Base and 55 km per hour at Jinnah Terminal.

More than 400 feeders of K-Electric have tripped, whereas, electricity wires in different areas were dropped to the ground, increasing the risks of electrocution incidents.

Many areas were facing power outage including Saddar, Regal, M A Jinnah, Lyari, Kharadar, Old City Area, Landhi, Quaidabad, Malir, Model Colony, Railway Colony, City Station, New Karachi, North Karachi, Surjani, Scheme 33, Gulshan-e-Maymar, DHA, Moosa Colony, Nusrat Bhutto Colony, Shah Faisal Colony, Quaidabad, North Nazimabad, Orangi Town, Qasba Colony, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Lines Area, Gulbahar, Pak Colony, Azizabad and others.

The spokesperson of K-Electric said that the repair work was pushed into a delay due to flooding situation at the roads. The company appealed the concerned departments to ensure the water drainage from the streets and roads.

The statement also read that the electricity supply was disconnected in most areas as a precautionary measure due to the presence of rainwater in the surroundings of sub-stations and electricity polls. The power restoration will be made after the drainage of rainwater.

Citing the deteriorated situation of the city, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed municipal institutions to immediately make arrangements for the drainage of rainwater besides taking safety measures for the citizens living in rural areas.