KARACHI: Heavy, moderate and light spells of rain were reported from different districts, including Hyderabad, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Badin on Tuesday causing flooding and severe disruption in the routine educational, trade, business and commercial activities.

In Hyderabad, heavy rain lashed the city areas causing inundation of low-lying areas and suspension of business, trade and commercial activities in major markets and bazaars.

Although it had started raining in the morning intermittently, the spell started at around 1pm was heavy and it rained with the same intensity again in the evening.

Rainwater accumulated in Qasimabad, Latifabad and city talukas, especially in the low-lying areas.

Latifabad’s units 8 and 12 were already worst-affected due to accumulation of rainwater following the earlier spells.

Sanitation worker electrocuted on Hyderabad hospital’s roof; lightning kills boy in Sujawal village

Latifabad, Jinnah and Mahar Ali colonies inhabited by underprivileged communities faced a worst kind of inundation as waist-deep water accumulated there. A similar situation was witnessed in Qasimabad and downtown Hyderabad. All main roads were flooded with rainwater, causing traffic gridlock in different areas.

The Airport office of meteorological department recorded 49mm of rainfall and City office 22mm till 8pm.

Electrocution

A young sanitary worker was electrocuted while clearing rainwater accumulated on the roof of the Liaquat University Hospital’s city branch.

Sonu Masih, son of Arif Masih, 24, was found dead on the roof of a building of LUH’s old administrative section. His family members held a sit-in outside the hospital demanding action against those officers who had asked him to go to the roof for clearing water amid downpour.

LUH medical superintendent Dr Hafeez Abro said that a four-member committee had been formed to probe into the incident. He claimed that according to his information, Sonu had climbed the roof on his own.

MIRPURKHAS: Several intermittent spells of heavy rainfall hit all seven talukas of this district, which was already affected badly by the 36-hour downpour a few days back.

Rainwater inundated all roads and streets and heavily flooded low-lying areas. Vehicular traffic remained off the road since the start of the fresh spell.

Scores of panicked families were seen moving out of their colonies and searching for safe dry places amid rainfall.

Electricity in Mirpurkhas city went off as soon as it started raining and could not be restored till late in the evening. All markets and bazaars were closed.

Rainwater has also caused widespread devastation in the rural areas of the district.

Failure to ensure provision of relief goods triggers protests

SUKKUR: Thousands of marooned people took part in widespread protests over failure of the authorities concerned to drain out water from their respective areas and ensure provision of food, water and other relief goods despite passage of many days since the start of downpour.

The demonstrations were held in Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore, Dadu, Thatta and Sujawal.

Several hundred people were seen raising a hue and cry outside the press clubs of district headquarters and offices of deputy commissioners and buildings of their respective municipality.

They told local reporters that they were left in the lurch while the rains and flooding had destroyed their houses, all belongings and ration.

They pointed out that the Sindh government had already acknowledged that hundreds of thousands of people had been rendered homeless. But, they added, nowhere the officials concerned were seen discharging their duties.

Only a few hundred people were accommodated in relief camps, said one of the protesters speaking to reporters at the Jacobabad Press Club.

Another protester said his family was staying in a relief camp but no food or essentially required goods were being provided there.

THATTA: Several thousand of rain-affected villagers converged on the historical Dulah Darya Khan bridge, which connects Thatta with Sujawal district, to demand commencement of relief operations in their districts.

The two-hour-long protest caused suspension of vehicular traffic on the road. It was led by the Sindh Mallah Forum.

Leaders of the organisation condemned “lethargy” of the administrations of the two districts in providing any relief to the people in distress.

One of the leaders, Dada Adam Gandro, said that the marooned families were facing starvation but the district officials remained aloof. “They have falsely informed the higher authorities that ration and many other relief goods had been provided to the affected people,” he deplored.

A village elder, Mohammad Soomar Mirbahar, said that several hundred families were living under the open sky and waiting for relief goods for several days.

Lightning kills boy

Lightning killed a 12-year-old boy, Abdul Aziz Malah, and injured five others near Mir Khana Mori of Mirpur Bathoro taluka in Sujawal district on Tuesday.

A group of farmers was at work in farmlands when lightning struck them.

They were rushed to the Mirpur Bathoro Taluka Hospital where the boy succumbed to his injuries.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2022