KARACHI: As Karachi reeled from the destruction and urban flooding caused by Thursday’s downpour, which continued intermittently on Friday with much less intensity, three more people died in as many incidents in the city, bringing the death toll to 26.

Of the three fresh victims, two of them were electrocuted, increasing the number of victims that died of electrocution in the city following rains to 19.

The Met Office said that the city weather would remain partly cloudy/cloudy with chances of drizzle/light rain on Saturday (today), as the strong monsoon system has now moved westwards and lies over north-west Arabian Sea and adjoining Gulf of Oman.

With teams of the Pakistan Army and Navy still busy in rescue work, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar thanked them “for helping us when we needed [it] the most”.

The mayor also claimed that life returned to normal in most areas of the city on Friday, but the situation was still “grave” in parts of Central and Korangi districts and Saadi Town because of urban flooding.

Death toll rises to 26; light rain expected today; mayor says flood situation under control

A Met official said Landhi received 20mm of rain, Gulshan-i-Hadeed (13mm); Gulistan-i-Jauhar (4.4mm); University Road (5.2mm); Saddar (5mm); Jinnah Terminal (5.4mm); North Karachi (4.6mm); PAF Base Faisal (1mm) and Nazimabad received traces of rain.

The maximum and minimum temperature in the city on Friday was 32 and 26 degrees Celsius with humidity, the amount of moisture in the atmosphere, at 81 per cent.

In the rest of Sindh, Badin received maximum amount of rainfall on Friday (22mm), Dadu (18mm), Thatta (15mm), Rohri (9mm), Padidan (8mm), Mithi (4mm), Moenjodaro (3mm), Larkana and Nawabshah (2mm), Sukkur (1.6mm), Sakrand (1mm). Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas received traces.

The Met official advised the fishermen in Sindh and Balochistan to take precautionary measures and not to venture in the deep sea till Sept 2.

He said the maximum temperature on Saturday was expected to range between 32 and 34 degrees Celsius.

Deaths

Thirty-year-old Khadim Hussain died of electrocution in his quarters in Income Tax Colony in Garden. The Nabi Bux police said that the body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).

A 28-year-old woman, Kausar, was electrocuted in her Mauripur home. The body was shifted to the CHK.

An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said 15-year-old Rashid drowned in a storm-water drain in Saeedabad. The body was retrieved and shifted to the CHK.

Also on Friday, a Rangers’ spokesperson said that the paramilitary force rescued 20 persons inside the causeway of the Malir River.

Mayor thanks armed forces

Saying that the urban flooding caused by torrential rains in the city was now under control and the situation would be back to normal on Eid, Mayor Wasim Akhtar thanked the Pakistan Navy and Army for playing their role in saving people’s lives in rescue operations.

“The rainwater has been cleared from underpasses with the help of the Army and Pakistan Navy. We are thankful to our forces for helping us when we needed [it] the most,” said the mayor during a visit to rain-affected parts of the city.

He visited the underpasses at Sohrab Goth, Liaquatabad, and Nazimabad and the neighbourhoods of Old Golimar, Jauhar Colony, Bismillah Stop, Garden, M.A. Jinnah Road and Zainab Market.

The mayor said a number of city areas were still facing urban flooding and officials concerned were facing problems in clearing the areas because of high tide in the sea and choked storm-water drains.

However, he said that the situation had improved a great deal on Friday and rainwater had been cleared from all major roads and thoroughfares.

He said it was not the time to play politics. Since the people of Karachi were facing immense hardships his key focus was on rescue of the stranded people and bringing life back to normal in the teeming metropolis, he added.

He said although normality returned to most parts of the city, the situation was still grave in parts of district Central, Saadi Town, and areas on the fringes of Korangi. “The drainage of water from those areas is continuing, and we’ll complete this operation in a day or two if no more rains hit the city.”

He said the army and navy teams were helping the city administration in rescue operations and the navy had been given information about certain areas where they were needed to rescue and rehabilitate the people.

Mayor Akhtar appealed to charities and political parties to lend a helping hand to the city administration in accomplishing the task.

“Karachi is the city of all of us and it needs everyone to get back to normal life.”—Bhagwandas, Hasan Mansoor & Imtiaz Ali contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2017