Karachi Endures Another Savage Night of Rain
Karachi endured another savage night of rain, flooding low spots and tearing across the city with little mercy. Officials report that at least ten people died in the span of an hour in drownings and electrocutions linked to the deluge. Government leaders quickly declared a day of closure for schools and offices to curb movement and facilitate rescue.
Meteorologists warn the worst is not yet over, predicting even heavier bursts today and tomorrow. The radar still shows dense bands heading toward the metropolis. Many underpasses remained lakes at dawn, and the city’s pumping operation completed only a fraction of the water. Major arteries, especially Shahrah-e-Faisal and I.I. Chundrigar Road, still trap rusty crimson pools, forcing guards at intersections to dish out hopeless gestures.
Witnesses report that streets functioned briefly as rivers, swallowing curbs, power cables, and hopes of orderly travel. The flow snapped a cable at the city’s main IT blackout point, freezing apps and GPS. Cars and motorcycles, wildly outmatched, bobbed in water up to their windows. Some motorists ran out of fuel inside the surge, their dread and throttle locked at the same point. Rescue efforts are still crawling.
Rainwater seeped into houses in residential neighbourhoods like Surjani Town, Garden, Shadman Town, and Sakhi Hasan. In North Karachi, stores along Nagan Chowrangi, a well-known food street, were also overrun.
In Gulistan-e-Johar, tragedy struck when a house wall collapsed, killing four people. Two young men were electrocuted in Shah Faisal Colony, and a motorcyclist in Defence died after being shocked by electricity in floodwaters. In the meantime, the body of a 50-year-old man who drowned in the water channel close to Gurumandir was recovered by rescuers.
The city will continue to experience life-threatening urban flooding every monsoon unless immediate action is taken, according to local guardians of civic rights, who voiced concern over inadequate infrastructure and a lack of readiness.
