Sindh govt announces public holiday on Friday amid torrential rains

KARACHI: In the wake of the devastation caused after the torrential rains in the province especially in Karachi, the Sindh government on Thursday announced a province-wide public holiday on Friday (today), ARY NEWS reported. 

The announcement was made by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, who said that all the government, semi-private and private institutions, and organizations shall observe a public holiday on Friday.

He, however, said that the institutions of essential duties and emergency response centres shall continue to discharge their duties as usual.

The decision came after heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Mirpurkhas and other parts of the province.

It was reported earlier in the day that the ongoing Monsoon spell has broken all records of the downpour in the city available with the met department since 1932.

According to details, it was 53-years-back in July 1967 when the city received 429 mm of rainfall in a month. The record has now been broken after the metropolis recorded 442 mm rainfall in the month of August 2020.

In 1967, 713 mm rain was recorded during the entire monsoon spell in the city, a record that is on the verge of being broken as 566 mm rainfall is recorded during the ongoing spell.

Read More: Pakistan Army continues relief, rescue operation in rain-hit Sindh: ISPR

The city has already surpassed a record of most rains in an area of the city during a month three days back, when met officials recorded 345 mm rainfall at Faisal Base, breaking the 1984 record of 298 mm downpour at the same place.

The met data shows that the ongoing spell broke the record of most rains in three spots in the city, with airport area receiving more than 262 mm rainfall, breaking the 42-year-old record of August 1979.

Masroor Base also recorded above 272 mm downpour in August, breaking a record of August 2007 of the most rains in the area.