Rain with strong winds hit various areas of Karachi

KARACHI: Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds has been reported across multiple areas of Karachi, ARY News reported on Monday.

Several areas of Karachi, including Malir, Airport, Shah Latif Town, Port Qasim, Gulshan Hadid, Gulshan Iqbal, and Gulshan-e-Memar, are currently receiving heavy rains with strong winds.

Similarly, other areas including North Nazimabad, Nusrat Bhutto Colony, Surjani, Manghopir, Buffer Zone, Ahsanabad and M9 Motorway also reported same weather conditions.

Residents are advised to stay safe and avoid unnecessary travel as the storm system continues to affect the city.

Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah alerted all local bodies, district administration, and the irrigation department to be prepared for timely action in case of any emergency in the wake of the heavy rainfall forecast in the province.

CM Murad Ali Shah instructed Commissioner Karachi that the sea condition, as reported by the Met Office, is expected to remain rough during the forecast period.

“Necessary measures should be taken to prevent people from bathing in the sea,” he added.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported that a well-marked low-pressure area over central India has intensified into a depression over Madhya Pradesh and is expected to move west-southwestward, possibly reaching eastern Sindh on the night of August 26th.

Karachi Division may experience wind-thunderstorm/rain with scattered heavy to isolated very heavy falls during August 27th – 31st, with occasional gaps.

Metrologist Sarfraz Ahmad informed the Chief Minister that Karachi may receive 150-200 mm of rainfall, Thatta, Sujawal, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad 250-300 mm, Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tharparkar, Umerkot 500 mm and the rest of the district 70-100 mm.

The CM was also informed that torrential downpours may cause urban flooding and rain inundation in Karachi, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando Mohammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Dadu, Jamshoro, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Sanghar districts during 28-30 August.

The heavy rains may cause water logging in Sukkur, Larkana, Kambar Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, and Jacobabad districts. Furthermore, gusty winds may cause damage to lose structures, electric installations, solar panels, old trees, etc. and lightning strikes may also cause damages.

Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab stated that he has provided the necessary machinery for cleaning the drains to the towns so that they can maintain their systems. The water board is also active in keeping their sewerage system functional. Additionally, machinery has been arranged from PDMA and other sources to pump out water in case of accumulation from the low-lying areas.