KARACHI - From posh neighbourhoods of the Clifton to slum areas in Surjani and Orangi Town and from major thoroughfares of Shahra-e-Faisal to street lanes, it was all water in the city on Thursday after a record-breaking rain devastated and submerged the business hub of the country. 

The met officials have termed the ongoing spell as unprecedented terming that the city received over 500 mm of the downpour during a month, breaking the 89-year-old record. 

The ongoing Monsoon spell has broken all available records of the downpour in the city available with the MET department since 1932. 

It was 53-years-back in July 1967 when the city received 429 mm of rainfall in a month. The record has now been broken after the metropolis recorded over 500 mm rainfall in the month of August 2020.

In 1967, 713 mm rain was recorded during the entire monsoon spell in the city, a record that is on the verge of being broken as over 566 mm rainfall is recorded during the ongoing spell.

The city has already surpassed a record of most rains in an area of the city during a month three days back, when met officials recorded 345 mm rainfall at Faisal Base, breaking the 1984 record of 298 mm downpour at the same place.

According to details, the rain caused accumulation of three to four feet water in several parts of the city including Gulberg, Kala Board, Qasba Colony, Khwaja Ajmer Nagri, Baldia Town, Ayesha Manzil, Liaquatabad, Old Sabzi Mandi area, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Clifton blocks, PECHS, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and other areas.

K-Electric announced that it would continue load shedding in the areas after rainwater entered its installation, including grid stations, in these areas. 

Hospitals and government offices also remained submerged in the nearly 200 mm rainfall in the city on Thursday. 

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), NICVD, NICH and Civil Hospital also witnessed rainwater entering the hospitals’ premises. Even the ambulance services for the hospitals were suspended for the time being due to heavy rainfall. An eye witness said that none of the ambulances was ready to shift their patient from NICVD to Surjani area. 

Commissioner Karachi while divulging details of the rescue operation said that they had rescue 10 families from Orangi Town after water spill over from the passing-by nullah, causing accumulation of four feet of water in the area.

“We have also rescued families from Kati Pahari area,” the commissioner said as they delivered cooked food among 8000 families. 

CM announces public holiday 

The Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has also announced a public holiday in the province due to devastating rains across the province. 

All private and public institutions would remain close on Friday, announced the Chief Minister while directing the rescue officials to stay on alert to deal with the ongoing situation. 

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also directed commissioner Karachi to coordinate with Pakistan Navy and army for evacuation of people stranded into Sukkuan Nadi and Malir River and keep them in schools.

Shah through different reports submitted to him by deputy commissioners learnt that some people living in the bed of Sukkan and Malir Rivers were stranded due to high flooding in them. 

He directed commissioner Karachi to request Pak Navy and Army to lift the stranded people from the rivers and house them in school building in Malir district.

The CM directed Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to arrange food, and other necessary staff for them and their children. He also directed the PDMA to arrange tents, dry food items and drinking water for the people to be shifted to camps.

The PDMA has informed the district administration that tents, mosquito nets and deterring machines were available with them. The district administration has been urged to generate their demand.The PDMA has provided 63 dewatering machines to district administration to pump out water from the low-lying areas.

Sindh CM media talk 

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah talking to different news channels said that Karachi had received heavy rains on Thursday and expected the same intensity on Friday. He urged people working in different offices to stay in there and don’t go out until the rain was over and water was pumped out.

Shah terming the heavy rains in the city as a `disaster,’ said that it was a dangerous situation and govt worried about the poor people living in slum areas. “I am surprised that our political opponents instead of extending helping hand to the government and the people are criticizing us as if we are responsible for an unprecedented heavy downpour,” he said and added “yes, being a government, it is our prime duty to help people, rescue them, shift them to a safe place and rehabilitate them and we are working on it,” he said.

Murad Ali Shah said that once the rain was over, all-out efforts would be made to dispose of water and restore normal life in the city. 

The Chief Minister said that he had mobilized district administration, local bodies, water board, PDMA and Sindh police to help people. “The provincial ministers, district administration, district & traffic police are on the roads to helped people,” he said.

“I am personally monitoring the situation and is in constant touch with all the concerned officers and giving them necessary instruction,” he said and added that he himself had visited some parts of the city in the early evening.