KARACHI: The Sindh government declared a public holiday for Wednesday, August 20, after devastating rains overwhelmed Karachi, flooding homes and killing at least 10 people in electrocutions, drownings, and wall-collapse incidents.
Power outages hit several areas, while internet and mobile services were also disrupted, with Gulshan-e-Hadeed recording the highest rainfall at 170mm.
Authorities have advised people to avoid commuting, as many returning from work and school remain stranded with water rising several feet in areas, including Malir — a situation reminiscent of the devastating 2022 rains.
Intermittent downpours continued to lash Karachi throughout the day, leaving much of the city submerged. Several neighbourhoods, including Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Korangi Crossing, Liaquatabad, Baldia Town, Rafah-e-Aam, and Shah Faisal Colony, reported rainwater entering homes.
In some areas, particularly Malir and North Karachi, water levels rose to around four feet, forcing residents to abandon vehicles and wade through flooded streets.
Traffic came to a grinding halt on key arteries, including Sharea Faisal, University Road, and II Chundrigar Road. Vehicles broke down on waterlogged streets, with long queues seen on Nagan Chowrangi, Hub River Road, and Miran Naka, where commuters remained stuck for hours.
The low-lying neighbourhoods in Surjani Town, North Nazimabad’s Shadman Town, and several areas of District Malir were also inundated.
Rescue officials said three people, including two women, drowned in a stormwater drain near Guru Mandir. Two women were rescued, while the search for the third person was still underway.
Four people were killed and two were injured when a house wall collapsed in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 12, and a child died in a similar incident in Orangi.
A motorcyclist was electrocuted on a footpath near Nursery on Shahrah-e-Faisal, while another young man riding a motorbike in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) lost his life after receiving an electric shock from rainwater, rescue officials said.
Others died in separate rain-related incidents, raising the overall death toll in Karachi to 10.
A Met Office spokesperson said the next two days are critical for Karachi with regard to rain and added that the port city is likely to receive more heavy rain on August 20 and 21.
As per the Met Office's statistics, the highest rainfall was recorded in Gulshan-e-Hadeed (170mm), followed by Airport Old Area (158.5mm), Jinnah Terminal (152.8mm),Nazimabad (149.6mm), and Surjani Town (145.2mm).
The heavy showers also disrupted flight operations at Jinnah International Airport. At least eight flights were cancelled and 20 others delayed, with several inbound flights diverted to other cities.
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Skardu (PK-456) was redirected to an alternate airport, while a Dubai-Karachi flight operated by Flydubai (FZ-335) was diverted to Multan.
PIA also cancelled its Karachi-Quetta flights PK-310 and PK-311, along with Karachi-Islamabad flights PK-308 and PK-309.
Two Sukkur-bound flights (PK-536 and PK-537) were also scrapped, while private carriers suspended their scheduled Dubai services.
Departures and arrivals from Jeddah, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Colombo, Medina, Peshawar, and Toronto faced delays ranging between one to five hours, airport sources confirmed.
Meanwhile, internet and mobile phone services in Karachi have been disrupted due to the downpour, affecting connectivity in several areas.
CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah has issued directives to implement the Rain Emergency Plan in the metropolis while ordering immediate measures to drain water from low-lying areas and roads.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has also directed police to prioritise citizens' safety while urging the residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
With a Rain Emergency Cell established at the Governor's House on the directions of Governor Kamran Tessori, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that the city has received more than 100mm of rain so far.
Talking toGeo News, Wahab said the city’s main roads had been cleared after heavy rains, though work was still underway in several areas facing waterlogging.
"Drainage efforts are continuing where rainwater has accumulated," he said and explained that Karachi received over 235mm of rain, far beyond its 40mm drainage capacity
Wahab said that, so far, 3.024 million cubic feet of debris had been cleared from the storm drains, which improved water flow and eased drainage across the city.
Wahab admitted shortcomings in the system but promised improvements, stressing that without proper cleaning of storm drains, water cannot be cleared effectively.
"Basic steps are needed to expand the drainage capacity, but this requires land and faces resistance from residents, making the task difficult," the mayor said.
"Traffic is moving, but slows down where water remains on the sides of roads. Overall, the situation has improved compared to earlier in the day."
Wahab also confirmed receiving complaints of power outages in several neighbourhoods.
Earlier, Wahab had said criticism was the right of citizens, but urged them to see the full picture.
“The city experienced hours of nonstop rain. We are on the roads, monitoring the situation ourselves,” he added.
"We are all on the streets, monitoring the situation," Wahab remarked, adding that the authorities were facing difficulty in clearing the Tipu Sultan nullah.
"People should not leave their homes unnecessarily. The situation returns to normal after an hour and a half, after the rain stops," the mayor said while highlighting that the situation in the city worsens if there's more than 40mm of rain.
Separately, Tessori visited rain-hit areas on foot, even helping stranded motorists push stalled vehicles.
He told citizens that the Governor's House doors would remain open throughout the night, offering shelter to anyone in need.
The governor also set up a rain emergency cell at the Governor's House. Affected citizens can contact helpline 1366 for assistance with rain or traffic issues.
Several major roads and underpasses in Karachi remain waterlogged, causing severe disruption for commuters across the city.
Rainwater has accumulated at Tower, II Chundrigar Road, University Road near Safoora, and multiple points along Sharea Faisal, including the FTC and the PAF Museum. Parts of the city’s commercial district — near the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, GPO, Habib Bank Plaza, and Police Headquarters —are also affected.
Traffic police said the underpasses at Drigh Road, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and the Clifton Submarine area are currently closed due to flooding. Although the Clifton underpass has been reopened, standing water continues to block entry at others.
Stranded vehicles remain along Natha Khan to Malir Halt, although traffic has been restored between Drigh Road and Natha Khan.
Water has also been reported near Governor House, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Shaheen Complex, Gurumandir, Qayumabad, Bolton Market, Kharadar, the KMC Head Office, and the City Court. Shops and markets on Napier Road, Medicine Market, and the Denso Hall area are struggling to stay accessible, with nearly one-foot-deep water in some places.
As the new day rises 14 hours after rain started, large parts of Karachi’s Red Zone are still flooded, causing serious disruption for motorists on Wednesday morning.
Officials told Geo News that water had yet to be drained from areas around Aiwan-e-Sadr and Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, where one track has been closed for traffic since yesterday.
Witnesses reported that no effort had been made to remove accumulated water from the road leading to the President’s House and surrounding areas.
The road near the Governor's House leading to the police lines is still waterlogged, making it difficult for commuters to pass through flooded stretches of road.
Motorcyclists are struggling to make their way through the water again today.
Sindh CM Shah has announced a public holiday in Karachi for tomorrow, August 20, as the city continues to reel from heavy rainfall and widespread disruption.
The chief minister also advised citizens to remain indoors, stressing that more rain was expected and the holiday had been declared to spare people further hardship.
An official notification issued by the Commissioner's office read that, given the ensuing heavy monsoon rains in Karachi Division and the weather advisory issued by the PMD regarding widespread rain-wind/thundershower, the Government of Sindh hereby declares Wednesday, August 20, 2025, as a public holiday in the territorial jurisdiction of Karachi Division, except for essential services.
The general public is advised to stay at home, avoid unnecessary outdoor movements, and exercise maximum caution during the spell of heavy rains, it added.
According to the Met Office, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are continuously penetrating the country, especially the southern parts. Under the influence of these meteorological conditions, widespread rain-wind/thundershower (with scattered heavyfalls at times very heavy) is expected in several Sindh districts, including Karachi, from August 19-22, with occasional gaps.
It is also expected in Mithi, Tharparker, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tando Allayar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar, Jamshoro, while at scattered places in Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, and Jacobabad.
The PMD added that torrential rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Sindh, including Karachi.
Furthermore, the downpour also resulted in electricity outages in multiple areas. However, K-Electric (KE) has said that the city was being provided with an uninterrupted power supply from more than 1,770 feeders out of 2,100.
“Our teams have been on-ground, working through challenging conditions to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” said Sadia Dada, Chief Distribution and Marcomms Officer. “Temporary shutdowns were implemented in waterlogged areas purely for public safety, and restoration was prioritised as soon as conditions allowed.
“We strongly urge citizens to maintain a safe distance from electrical infrastructure during rains, including poles, electricity meters, service brackets, and broken and tangled internet/cable wires. Internal wiring and water motors should not be operated with wet hands or in standing water. Only certified electricians should be engaged in case of electrical faults within households.”
In light of the Met Office's prediction, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired an emergency meeting a day earlier to oversee preparations for the monsoon rains expected to impact Karachi and other parts of the province.
The CM put the local governments, administration and traffic police on high alert, and directed them to strengthen coordination to ensure convenience for the people in case of heavy rains.
Karachi is not the only part of the country witnessing monsoon showers, as heavy rains have wreaked havoc across Pakistan's northern areas in recent days.
So far, the death tally in rain-related incidents has climbed to 660, with reports of casualties and widespread destruction pouring in from all provinces and regions.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has reported the highest casualties, with 392 people losing their lives in various incidents.
KP is followed by Punjab with 164 fatalities, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) with 32, Sindh with 29, Balochistan with 20, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with 15, and Islamabad with eight.
Among the victims, 394 were men, 95 women, and 171 children. The total number of injured has reached 935, most of them in Punjab (582), while 245 were reported in KP, 40 in Sindh, 37 in GB, 24 in AJK, four in Balochistan, and three in Islamabad.