SUKKUR: Widespread heavy rains across most districts of the interior of Sindh on Friday night and Saturday played havoc with electricity network and drainage system, besides causing heavy flooding in both urban and rural areas alike.

The downpour is reported to have caused great damage to standing crops and seedlings in the upper and central Sindh regions.

Four farmworkers were bitten by snakes during the rainfall in Larkana district. They survived due to timely treatment provided to them at the Chandka Medical College Hospital.

Heavy and moderate spells of nonstop rains continued to pound urban and rural areas of Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore, Ghotki and Khairpur districts throughout the night and first half of Saturday. Intermittent light rain in the region was continuing till late Saturday evening.

Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas districts also received moderate rains during the last 24 hours, media personnel reported from the area. Reports from Jamshoro, Dadu, Hyderabad, Matiari and Tando Allahyar districts suggest that different areas in this region received light rains and brief heavy spells.

The routine business, trade, commercial, educational and social activities did not start at all in the upper Sindh region on Saturday morning due to night-long rainfall and heavy flooding. No business centres, shopping malls, markets and commercial outlets were opened whereas customers remained indoors.

Flooding also kept vehicular traffic off the road due to submerged roads and highways. In the low-lying areas of Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore and Ghotki cities, people were seen struggling in vain to flush out rainwater and sewage from their houses. Their household articles and furniture were damaged by the deluges.

Landowners and farmers were equally affected as standing crops and seedling were inundated. Homes of farmers were also destroyed by the downpour and flooding.

Municipalities of all cities and towns appeared helpless as they could not operate pumping machines due to power outage that hit the entire region with the first drop of rain.

It was believed that the power utility had suspended supply as a precaution to avoid electrocution during the rainfall but most cities, towns and villages of upper Sindh were still without power till late Saturday evening.

Millions of people living in the region were very likely to face paucity of drinking water as pumping could not be undertaken on Saturday night and Sunday to supply water to consumers. Sewage draining also could not be done due to the power suspension.

Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze and Sanghar districts received moderate rains in their urban and rural areas.

The Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts were pounded by widespread rains on Saturday morning.

Rainwater flooded main roads and streets crippling the routine business, trade and commercial activities. Markets and shops had to be kept closed as customers cou­ld not move to these areas due to the flooding while vehicular traffic also gradually went off the road.

Rainwater accumulate in low-lying localities, playgrounds and ground floors of various markets, bazaars and shops, besides homes in residential areas. Railway’s underpass was also filled with rainwater mixed with sewage while the Left Bank Outfall Drain was seen overtopping at its different sections, turning the flooding situation worse.

Massive power outage

While the upper Sindh region experienced power outage of varying spans since Friday night, most rural areas and some cities and towns were still without electricity even 36 hours after the breakdown. Countless feeders of the Sukkur Electricity Supply Company tripped due to the downpour across the region. Many feeders in urban areas were shut down as a precautionary measure but all of them could not be re-energised till late Saturday evening.

There were also reports of breakdowns and burning down of pole-mounted transformers leading to the massive outage.

Prolonged power outages were also reported to have hit Hyderabad Electric Supply Company’s (Hesco’s) region Meanwhile, many families living in the flooding-hit villages of Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions were seen moving to safe places in boats as water level in the Indus was constantly rising.

Four cases of snakebite were reported at the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) during a few brief spells of rainfall in Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts.

Doctors at the hospital’s trauma centre said that the victims were brought from Larkana and its suburban areas. They were bitten while working in farms, they said.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024