KARACHI: While seven more people were killed — four drowned and three electrocuted — in rain-related incidents, life in the country’s commercial capital failed to return to normality on Saturday even after two days of record-breaking rains as many localities still submerged, hundreds of thousands of residents remained without electricity and cellular and internet services.

The fragile transmission and distribution system of the K-Electric remained a key source behind disturbance in the city life as many areas, where power supply went out on Thursday, were still waiting for supply to be restored. Because of prolonged power failures, the cellular and internet services could not be restored fully in the city.

Although several major roads and thoroughfares were mostly cleared by Friday morning after nightlong operation by the civil and military organisations, several localities remained submerged even after two days of the rain affecting traffic movement and normal routine of life.

Four drown, three electrocuted

The body of a woman was found floating in the Malir river near Korangi Crossing. The body was shifted to the Edhi Home in Korangi, where she was identified with the help of her jewellery as around 45-year-old Sabira Ahmed, said Mushtaq Tanoli, the chairman of a Korangi union committee.

In the same area, the body of a man drowned in the Malir river was recovered and sent to Edhi Home in Korangi, where he was identified by his relatives as Amjad, said the UC chairman Tanoli.

Electricity, cellular, internet services disruption continues; rain likely today

He was riding a motorbike and was on his way from Bhittai Colony to Qayumabad when a strong current swept him away. The deceased was stated to be a close relative of a senior official of the police’s Counter-Terrorism Department.

The UC chairman, who is part of a rescue team, said that they recovered seven motorbikes from the river and he apprehended that 10 to 12 persons were still missing who might be drowned during heavy rains.

The Baloch Colony police said that the body of Bilal Yaqoob, 24, drowned in a storm-water drain in Junejo Town was recovered on Saturday and shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The Saeedabad police said that the body of an unidentified teenager was found from a pond in Musharaf Colony. The body was shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

A 40-year-old woman, identified as Ishrat Jehan, died when she suffered an electric shock inside her home in Sector-14-D of Orangi Town.

In another incident, 50-year-old Ghazi Khan died of an electric shock in Natha Khan Goth.

A 50-year-old man, Noor Husain died when he suffered an electric shock inside his home at Ath Chowk in Lyari on Saturday evening, according to Chhipa. The body was shifted to the CHK.

A 26-year old man, Alam Zeb, died when he suffered an electric current inside a home located on Sunset Boulevard in DHA on Saturday evening. His body was shifted to the JPMC to fulfill legal formalities.

Governor expresses anger at KE

The situation with regard to power breakdowns in the city attracted the attention of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, who contacted authorities in Islamabad and apprised them of the power supply situation and approached the power utility to express his anger.

“The Sindh governor contacted the K-Electric chief and expressed concerns over the recent power crisis in the city,” said a brief statement issued by the Governor House.

“The governor issued directives for immediate restoration of power supply in the city and asked for maximum possible relief efforts in low-lying areas and badly-hit localities. The governor also talked to Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan and apprised him of the power crisis in Karachi.”

KE, on the other hand, cited flooding and accumulated rainwater as the reason behind delays in power restoration. By evening it claimed to have fixed 92 per cent of the feeders which were tripped after Thursday’s heavy downpour.

“Over 92pc feeders have been powered up as KE teams continue to work for swift restoration. Over 100 locations have been restored in the last two hours,” it said in a statement.

“Rainwater entered over 50pc of KE’s substations during the record-breaking Karachi rains. To restore power outside and inside water must be drained, equipment must be allowed to air dry before turning on. This process takes time. Bear with us. We are at work to restore power.”

The city is likely to have rain/wind thunder-showers with isolated heavy to very heavy falls by Sunday evening, a Met department official stated.

Cellular, internet services suspension

The prolonged power failure continued to cost Karachiites key cellular services. Already going through the anxious wait for power supply restoration, people in many areas found themselves with little means to contact friends, family members and co-workers as almost all cellular networks went out of service in the wee hours of Friday morning.

“Due to prolonged power failure in the city, many radio-based stations of the cellular companies are out of service and their generators are also down due to non-supply of fuel,” said a cellular company official citing reason behind the recent outages.

As Karachiites wait for life to return normal, the challenges seem not over amid fresh forecast of the Met Office.

“The low pressure area from the Bay of Bengal is currently lying over Rajasthan and has started influencing weather conditions in the eastern parts of Sindh, including Tharparkar and Umerkot. There are reports of moderate to heavy rainfall in both districts today,” said Met Office spokesperson Sardar Sarfaraz.

The system would influence Karachi and adjoining districts by Sunday evening, he added.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2020