KARACHI: Seven people were killed in the metropolis on Sunday as the second spell of torrential rain under the current monsoon season wreaked havoc on the ill-maintained municipal and civic infrastructure inundating roads that led to crippling traffic jams on key arteries.

By 8pm, Gulshan-i-Hadeed received highest amount of rainfall i.e. 59 millimetres, followed by Quaidabad (34mm), Orangi Town (32.8mm), 31mm each at Jinnah Terminal and Saadi Town, 29.5mm at Airport old area, 23.5mm at Korangi, 23mm at Sharae Faisal, 18mm at Masroor Base, 12.5mm at University Road, 20mm at Nazimabad, 18mm at North Karachi, 15mm at DHA, 16mm at Keamari and 10 mm at Gadap town.

Woman, son drown

A woman and her infant son drowned and her husband was rescued when their bike fell in an open drain in Shadman Town on Sunday evening.

Central SSP Maroof Usman said that the man was immediately rescued, but the body of woman, identified as Saman Danish, was recovered later near Anda Mor.

A woman and her infant son drown in open drain; four die from electrocution

He said search for the minor child was going on.

Four die from electrocution

A young man was electrocuted in Orangi Town on Sunday night. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said that Farhan Khalid, 28, died when he suffered an electric shock on a street known as Phool Wali Gali in Orangi-10. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH).

Another man died in Buffer Zone on Sunday night. Taimuria SHO Abdul Rasheed said that Akbar Khan, 50, suffered an electric shock inside his home near Ali Building and died. The body was shifted to ASH.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said two more persons — Younus, 35, and Kaleem, 80 — died of electric shock in Liaquatabad and Orangi Town, respectively.

Meanwhile, a man died of lightning on the outskirts of the city on Sunday evening.

The Memon Goth police said that Raju Hashim died at Shaikh Mohalla in Jam Mehar Goth. The body was shifted to a hospital.

More rain expected

The fresh spell of the strong monsoon system developing in the Arabian Sea for the last three days brought rains in almost all city districts that tested the patience of Karachiites and mainly those living in low-lying areas and resulting in accumulation of rainwater on main thoroughfares.

The Met office said that under the influence of a depression (Intense Low-Pressure Area) over Northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Gulf of Kutch, different areas of Karachi received moderate to heavy showers and more showers including some heavy falls are expected on Monday (today) as well.

“The low pressure area, which converted into a depression, moved in west-northwest direction with a speed of 10-km per hour during the last 12 hours and now lies at a distance of about 160km south of Karachi and 140km from Thatta,” said Sardar Sarfaraz of the Met office.

“The maximum sustained surface wind is 50-55 km per hour around the system centre. The system is likely to move westward (towards Oman coast). Under the influence of this weather system, rain-wind-thunderstorms with a few heavy/very falls are likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta and almost across Sindh.

He maintained that sea conditions would remain very rough during the next two to three days advising fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea “at least till Monday night”.

Minutes after the rainfall, which triggered in the second half of the day, the city infrastructure started failing to cope up with the emerging situation.

The city roads one after another turned packed with queues of vehicles amid blockade of thoroughfares due to accumulation of rainwater.

Additional deployment of traffic officials and machinery to pump out water by the city administration eased the situation to some extent on some roads but large number of interactions continued to face the same situation even after rain stopped at around little over 9pm in most parts of the city.

A Traffic police spokesperson said barring few place, rains in the metropolis did not cause traffic problems anywhere.

Because of accumulation of rainwater at the Madam Bridge in Malir on National Highway, the traffic has been diverted from Jinnah JTC towards the Star Gate.

He said because of rainwater in underpass at Submarine Chowrangi, the road from Boat Basin towards Punjab Colony had been closed for motorbike riders while other track was opened for traffic from Punjab Chowrangi towards the Boat Basin.

The K-Electric, however claimed that the supply to most areas of the city continued during the rain spell, saying power is being supplied to the city through 1,750 feeders out of 1,900 feeders.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2022