Residents of different districts in Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, and Tharparkar, suffered yet another day of prolonged power outages and inundated roads as heavy rainfall lashed the province. Parts of Karachi started receiving heavy to light rain on Tuesday morning, leading to traffic jams and difficulties for motorcyclists. A day earlier, the Meteorological Department (Met Department) had expressed fears of urban flooding in the metropolis. Malir, Korangi, Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Saadi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B. Area, North Karachi, Surjani Town, and North Nazimabad were some of the heaviest hit areas in Karachi between Monday night and Tuesday morning. At least three feet deep water had accumulated on Karachi’s main artery — Shahrah-e-Faisal — after water could not be drained from either side of the road. Vehicles were left stranded on the road in water, with many cars breaking down as rainwater seeped into their engines. With rain also came the dreaded power breakdowns, with electricity supply suspended in many areas of the city as soon as the first drop of rain fell. Separately, the roof of an accountability court in Karachi started leaking due to the heavy downpour in the city, causing problems for petitioners present in the court. The road leading to Karachi University was also inundated due to the heavy downpour, with rainwater accumulating to a few feet high on the road linking Hassan Square with Safoora Chowrangi. Residents reported sewage and rainwater entering houses in the Naya Nazimabad and Azizabad Block II areas. In Azizabad, residents complained that sewerage lines were already damaged and the heavy rain made them worse. The heavy showers also caused a landslide in a Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block III, leading to several cars being severely damaged in the parking of a residential building. The situation worsened in the city's Surjani Town area, with almost 80% of the population in the area forced to relocate to safer places as water entered people's homes. The area had been particularly hard-hit by rains in last Friday's downpour, Left to their own devices, Surjani Town residents chose to make boats out of drums and wooden planks. Torrential rains lashed parts of Hyderabad with the showers leaving drains across the city inundated. A few underpasses of the city were also overflowing with rainwater. Water entered many houses and caused difficulties for residents of the city. Many roads and streets in Hyderabad were left inundated. Water rising up to three feet outside several hospitals could be seen. In the city’s Latifabad and Qasimabad areas, the localities were submerged with rainwater. The situation also led to prolonged power outages across Hyderabad.
According to the meteorological department, Hyderabad recorded 133mm of rain. It warned that intermittent rain showers will continue to hit the city. Sujawal district, Shahdadkot: The continuous rain resulted in water entering buildings, including the SSP’s office and other places. A similar situation was reported in Shahdahkot where low lying areas were flooded due to continuous rain in the city. The MET Office has forecast heavy rain in Duggri which has already wreaked havoc in the district, flooding shops and residential areas. Nearby villages were flooded due to the persistent rain in the province since last week. Mirpurkhas: Low-lying areas have been flooded, adding to the residents' woes already suffering from prolonged power cuts due to rain. Tando Allahyar, Tharparkar and Thatta: Shops in Tando Allahyar were also flooded, while the torrential rain in Tharparkar, Thatta, Tando Mohammad Khan left the storm drains overflowing and residents scrambling to get to safety. A K-Electric spokesperson said power was shut down in many areas as a safety precaution. “Due to water entering houses in many of the low lying areas of the city, we have turned off power as a safety precaution,” he said. The spokesperson added that resuming power during the flood-like situation in the city could be dangerous. “We are working with the relevant departments to restore power,” the spokesperson said, adding that water had entered installations at Bin Qasim, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and Society. Pakistan Meteorological Department on Monday said that heavy rainfall will continue in Karachi till Thursday, warning that urban flooding could take place in the city. In its latest advisory, the PMD said that rains could hit the southern parts of the city from Monday to Wednesday and also the upper parts of Sindh from Tuesday to Thursday. “Rain/wind-thundershowers, with isolated heavy to very heavy falls, are expected in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Shaheed Benazirabad, Dadu, Tharparker, Nagarparker, Mirpurkhas, Islam Kot, Umar Kot, Sanghar, Sukkur and Larkana from Monday to Wednesday,” it had said. The department had warned that heavy rainfall may generate urban flooding and waterlogging not only in Karachi but also in Hyderabad, Thatta, and Badin.