HYDERABAD: The torrential spell of monsoon rain that started a little before Monday-Tuesday midnight and continued till 8am wreaked havoc across the district bringing civic life to a grinding halt.

The spell started with a drizzle on Monday evening and intensified to a downpour by midnight. It continued intermittently till 8am in the morning leading to the accumulation of several feet high rainwater. Knee-deep to waist-deep water had accumulated in almost all low-lying areas of Hyderabad, Latifabad and Qasimabad within a few hours of rain.

Residents of Latifabad Unit-2 were seen moving to safe places amid heavy rainfall and flooding. Rainwater also entered the Red Crescent Hospital, cardiac hospital and other healthcare facilities.

A massive power breakdown hit the area at about midnight turning the situation worse and badly affecting pumping stations of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa). The power supply in many areas could not be restored till Tuesday evening.

All business, trade and commercial activities remained suspended on Tuesday as offices, markets and shopping centres did not open in the morning. The PTCL and cellular phone services also stopped functioning. Most vehicles went off the road and no customers were seen in shopping areas.

Deputy Commissioner Fuad Soomro said: “Around 5.5 inch rainfall pounded Hydera­bad since Monday evening. It is a huge quantum given Wasa’s pumping capacity”.

Edhi volunteers brought in boats to evacuate marooned families in the Mehar Ali Housing Society of Latifabad.

The railway line subway and tracks were completely submerged severing the Latifabad-Hyderabad link. It was restored on Tuesday night after civil administration installed pumps to drain out rainwater. Residents of Railway Colony, off Shah Makki Road, were being evacuated by the district administration.

Considerable damage to katcha houses in Halepoto, Sehnwaar and Tando Fazalin villages within

the rural taluka of Hyderabad was reported and according to district council chairman Badar Memon, some cattle heads also perished. Heavy rainfall also lashed Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari and Tando Allahyar districts. No loss of life was reported but at least 17 houses were damaged in different localities of Tando Mohammad Khan in incidients of roof or wall collapse. Three women were reportedly injured in such incidents.

More rains in the region have been forecast as skies remained heavily overcast.

Mayor wants city handed over to NDMA

Hyderabad Mayor Syed Tayyab Hussain and Deputy Mayor Syed Suhail Mashhadi have demanded that Hyderabad city be declared ‘calamity-hit’, and urged the prime minister to ask the National Disaster Manage­ment Authority (NDMA) to take care of it.

Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad Muni­cipal Corporation’s Jinnah Hall on Tuesday, they said continuing rainfall fully exposed the tall claims made by the Sindh government.

They said that the situation in Latifabad Unit-2 was not different from Sept 2006 as many pumping stations remained closed for want of fuel. They pointed out that electric supply in the city remained suspended for 18 hours since Monday evening.

They said they had timely informed the chief minister and local government minister of Sindh to ensure proper arrangements for monsoon rains-related emergency, and had warned the provincial government that if seriousness was not shown, proper attention was not given to pumping stations, and storm water drains as well as sewerage lines were not cleared, any emergency could affect the civic life.

They regretted that the Sindh government ignored Hyderabad. Calling for handing over the city to the NDMA, they said a letter had already been written to the federal government in this regard.

The Sindh government’s indifferent attitude towards the city was pushing it to destruction, they said.

The mayor and deputy mayor deplored that the Sindh government never took any initiative to resolve problems of local government while people always tended to find a solution of their problems in approaching the LGS in case of emergency.

The Sindh government had paralysed local government system, they said.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2020